


Monsters & Mankind || Marvel

by foxbowl



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-28
Updated: 2018-04-28
Packaged: 2019-03-10 16:15:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 16
Words: 20,958
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13505130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/foxbowl/pseuds/foxbowl
Summary: ❝They were not human, they were not part of mankind. Monsters were what these so-called heroes were. Monsters.❞General Hudson knows the difference between monsters and mankind.7.5 billion beings make up mankind.4 beings make up the monsters.Their names?Wanda Maximoff.Vision.Peter Parker.Steve Rogers.And if one thing's for sure, General Hudson is going to kill them all.Eight months after the Civil War, a new enemy arises from the dark and the Avengers are thrown back together. Some of them are being hunted, hunted like monsters. Can they put aside their differences and join forces once more or will they fail yet again?ϟ Honorable Mention in the Rose Awards ϟ|| Set in between Spider-Man: Homecoming and Avengers: Infinity War |||| This is written in October 2017, before the release of Infinity War, therefore it will become an AU after 4/27/18 |||| Rated PG-13 for mild language (nothing you wouldn't hear in your average Marvel movie) ||DO NOT SHARE, REPOST, OR CLAIM ANY PARTS OF THIS STORY.©2018 all rights reserved





	1. Prologue

"Monsters."

That was the only word uttered through the clenched teeth of General Carl Hudson as he watched the flickering computer screen. The general's eyes were glued to the monitor, a map of pure disgust etched across his rugged face. Hudson knew every move the figures in the video would make- he'd watched the same sequences too many times to count. The footage ended and he clicked the replay button almost instantly.

A man in a mask crushing the skull of Howard Stark with his prosthetic arm.

Three helicarrier plummet to the Earth, the Captain's plan in action.

A woman with red waves swirling from her hands sends a bomb into a nearby building.

Beams of light fly from an android's head, causing a control tower to tumble to the ground.

A man sending out webs steers a plane through an amusement park and onto Coney Island.

The footage ended again and General Hudson let out a shaky breath, full of hatred and despise.

Death and destruction. That was all that these people caused.

No, not people. People were not gifted the power of gods.

They were not human, they were not part of mankind. Monsters were what these so-called heroes were. Monsters.

And General Hudson vowed to kill them all.


	2. Tony Stark

"Red or white, sir?"

Tony Stark waved the question away. "I don't drink, Susanne." He spun around and plucked the clipboard from her hands. She was organized, he would give her that, the types of flowers and flavors of cake all neatly arranged in rows. At the bottom of the list was the question 'red or white?', which Tony promptly crossed out and wrote 'health shake'. "There, all better," he told her. "And make sure to get those fruit ones, not the veggie."

Susanne looked at the writing on the clipboard and her face blanched slightly. "Sir, is this proper for-"

"Susanne, whose wedding is this?" Tony interrupted.

"Y-yours, sir."

"Then health shake it is!"

Susanne stared at him for a moment before hugging her clipboard to her chest and scurrying out the room, just as Pepper Potts walked in.

"Stressing out the wedding planner again?" She asked her fiancé with an accusing smile.

Tony sighed. "I'm trying not to."

Pepper raised her eyebrows. "How hard are you trying? Because Susanne just looked like you told her the world was ending."

"It's hard when someone so organized wants to plan a perfect little wedding for the most unorganized man in the world," Tony replied with a shrug. "Maybe we should hire a new planner."

Pepper shook her head. "No way. That would be the fourth wedding planner this month."

"Okay, fine. I guess I'm just a bit stressed out, that's all."

"There's no reason to be stressed," Pepper told him. "The wedding is months away." She paused, then added, "You know what? Why don't we take the day off and just chill at home?"

"I would love to, Pepper," Tony said, pulling out a flip phone and checking the time, "but I have a meeting with Natasha in thirty minutes."

Pepper sighed. "I forgot about that."

"How about we go out to dinner tonight?" Tony suggested.

"Deal," said Pepper, her gaze drifting over to the flip phone in her fiancé's hand. She pulled it out of his grasp and flicked it open. There was one number programmed into the contacts, listed as 'Steve Rogers'. "If you want to call him, just call," she told Tony quietly. "And don't tell me that you don't. I know you've been carrying this flip phone around for the past eight months."

Tony took the phone back and stuffed it into the pocket of his suit. "I'm not carrying it around in case I want to call him. I'm carrying it around in case he calls me."

Pepper let out an exasperated laugh. "Is this some sort of competition? Who ever can last the longest without calling?"

"It's nothing like that," Tony assured her. "In the letter- the one that came with the phone- Steve wrote that if I ever needed him, I could call."

"And?"

"And I don't need him," explained Tony. "Nothing catastrophic has begun terrorizing a major city. No supervillains have come out of hiding." He smiled at his fiancé. "Not to mention that we're all fine. Rhodey's doing well in therapy, Peter's grades are good, Vision's cooking delicious recipes, and I'm-" He twirled Pepper around and she laughed. "-about to marry the love of my life."

"Excuse me?" The timid voice of Susanna came from behind them. Tony and Pepper turned to where she was standing at the door, clipboard in hand. "What type of dress would you like the bridesmaids to wear?"

"Bikini," answered Tony.

Susanna looked like she was about to faint.

Pepper shoved Tony and rolled her eyes. "Oh, stop messing with her." She thought for a moment then said to Susanna, "Can we do lace?"

The color returned to Susanna's face, as if she were glad that Pepper had come to her rescue. "Yes, of course." She rushed out of the room, a trail of papers and lists flying out behind her.

Tony led Pepper to the couch and sat down, stretching his legs. "You know, Pep, we kind of owe all of this to Peter. If he hadn't turned down the Avengers, we probably would have kept dating for the rest of eternity."

"Because you'd never have the guts to propose to me?"

"Yep."

"Speaking of the kid, how's Peter?" Pepper asked. "Have you've been giving him those training lessons May asked for?"

"Every Friday," Tony replied, fiddling with the flip phone.

"Really? I haven't seen him here in awhile."

"He had a sleepaway field trip for a couple a weeks. He came back today, actually." Tony grinned. "I heard that the crime rate in Queens skyrocketed."

Pepper smiled as well, but then stopped. "Which reminds me, I had lunch with May the other day."

Tony turned to her, surprised. "Really?"

"Yes," Pepper responded, "she invited me actually."

"Oh, god." Tony put his head in his hands. "She's mad at me isn't she?"

"Not mad... more like worried about Peter."

Tony shook his head. "No, with me, she's always mad. She hates me!"

Pepper sighed. "To be fair, you did send her fifteen-year-old nephew into a civil war in Germany, and then gave him a suit to help him sneak out and fight crime."

"If you say it like that, it almost makes her hatred seem reasonable."

"It is reasonable."

The door opened again and Susanne stuck her head through. "Would you like the invitations to say Pepper or Virginia?"

"Who's Virginia?" Tony asked.

Susanna gaped at him.

"Pepper, please, since it seems as though my fiancé doesn't even know my real name," Pepper told her.

Susanna nodded and scribbled it down on her clipboard.

"You really need to stop messing with her," Pepper told Tony once the wedding planner had left.

"No, I really had no idea that Pepper wasn't your real name."

Pepper shook her head but smiled. "If someone had told me ten years ago that I'd be marrying you of all people, I would have laughed in their face." She leaned back into the couch and put her arm around Tony. "And if they had told me that you had proposed on live television without even asking me beforehand, and I had said yes, I would have them sent to a mental facility."

Tony's eyes widened slightly. He knew that proposing to cover up the fact that Peter had denied the Avengers wasn't the most romantic way to ask Pepper, but he'd never even considered that she may have only said yes for the publicity stunt. A cold fear filled up his heart. "Wait," he said, "you do want to get married, right?"

Pepper laughed and suddenly her lips were on his. Tony closed his eyes, letting himself be absorbed into the kiss. When they broke apart, Pepper whispered, "Of course I do."

And all the fear melted away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Yay! First chapter: done. This one was for all you Team Tony people like me, but don't worry, the rest of you will get your favorite 99-year-old soldier in the next chapter! 
> 
> Thanks for reading and please remember to give your kudos and comment!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 2/02/18


	3. Steve Rogers

He knew he shouldn't be here. He knew that eight months ago when he arrived and he knew it now. Steve Rogers knew that, of all places, being in Brooklyn was the most idiotic place to be.

Bucky was right; he had taken all the stupid with him.

And he probably was going to get caught.

Steve climbed up the dangerously creaky steps to the apartment. Renting an apartment was probably one of the riskiest things he'd done, but Steve doubted that the near-blind landlady would recognize him. And with his beard and dyed-brown hair, he knew that she wouldn't ever guess that her renter was the former Captain America.

He fumbled with the keys as he unlocked the door and stepped inside. The room was a mess. Dirty clothes littered the ground and unwashed plates were piles high in the grimy sink. The filthiness was uncharacteristic for Steve, but then again, he hadn't been exactly himself recently.

Eight months ago, he'd fought 'Team Iron Man', as the press were apparently calling them, in Germany and then Tony Stark himself in Siberia.

How had it already been eight months?

Steve dropped the bag of groceries on the cracked counter and slid down into the moth-eaten couch. His back felt bare, the familiar weight of his shield missing.

That shield doesn't belong to you.

Tony's voice rang through his thoughts as Steve closed his eyes, massaging his temple.

You don't deserve it.

He wondered what Tony had done with the shield after he'd left it back in Siberia. Destroyed it? Probably.

Steve pulled a flip phone out of his pocket and scrolled through the contacts. 'Stark' was listed at the top, but he clicked right past it. The names flew by- 'Sam Wilson', 'Natasha Romanoff', 'Scott Lang', 'Clint Barton', 'Wanda Maximoff'.

After Steve had broke his teammates out of prison, they'd parted ways. It was too risky to stick together, and it seemed as if everyone had a place to be. Scott flew back west to be with his daughter, Clint traveled to his farm with his family, and Sam had gone up to Toronto to stay with a niece. Steve, Bucky, and Wanda went to Wakanda, but only until Bucky was back in cryo. After that, Steve and Wanda headed to Brooklyn, New York. Originally, Steve had tried to convince the girl that it was too dangerous for her to travel with him.

It's Brooklyn, my home town, he had told her. They'll find me here eventually.

She'd been persistent, though, and finally Steve realized that the reason Wanda wanted to come with him was because she had nowhere else to go. So the two of them had rented apartments in Brooklyn and lived there ever since.

Steve reached the bottom of the contact list. 'Sharon Carter'. His finger lingered on the call button, but only for a second before he snapped the phone shut. After everything he'd done, he doubted that she'd want to talk to him. And even if she did, she would be required to turn him in to Secretary Ross if she knew of his whereabouts.

There was a knock on the door. Steve got up from the couch and cautiously opened it.

"Steve!" A brown-haired young woman with a thick Russian accent was smiling up at him from the other side of the entrance.

Steve found himself mimicking her smile. "Wanda!" he said, opening the door wider. "Come in..." As he turned around to let her in, his gaze took in all of the clutter in kitchen and he trailed off, embarrassed with the condition of his apartment. Wanda stepped passed him, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"It smells like a dump in here," she commented. "When was the last time you did the dishes?"

Steve shrugged but before he could answer, red wisps of energy surged out of Wanda's hands and encased the dirty plates. With a flick of her wrist, Wanda turned the tap on, the dishes scrubbed with a floating sponge. She turned towards the living room and waved her unoccupied hand at the clump of laundry on the floor. The clothes floated into the air and folded themselves on top of each other. The dishes were done and Wanda sent them flying into the cupboards while sorting the unpacked groceries into the refrigerator at the same time. When the last cup had sailed into its rightful position, she spun in a circle, admiring her work.

"Thank you," said Steve bluntly. "You didn't have to do that."

"I know I didn't," Wanda smiled, "but I've been dying to use my abilities all week."

Steve sat back down on the couch and Wanda pulled up one of the table chairs. "Where have you been?" Steve asked her. "I stopped by your apartment earlier today and you weren't there." Wanda had rented a flat about a block away- they'd agreed that it would be less conspicuous that way. Steve had been there frequently over the past few months, and although her apartment was about as low quality as his, she'd definitely kept it tidier.

"Oh!" Wanda clasped her hands together, as if she were dying for Steve to ask that question. "Guess what? I got a job!"

"A job?" Steve repeated.

Wanda nodded happily. "It's at a convenience store chain called Circle Q. Minimum wage, five days a week."

Steve didn't think he could have possibly be hearing this correctly. "You got a job?" Steve asked, astonished. "You're a wanted woman, Wanda. Why would you ever think this is a good idea?"

Wanda stopped smiling, obviously shocked by the lack of Steve's excitement. "Well, I bought a black wig and I fake an American accent- no one's recognized me."

"Is it about money?" Steve asked. "Is Natasha's paycheck not enough? Because if it isn't, I'd be happy to give you some-"

"No, no," Wanda interrupted, shaking her head. "It's just that I was just tired of being cooped up in my apartment like a-" She paused, looking for the right word. "-like a criminal all day. I needed to get out of the house, that's all."

"Is that really the best idea?"

Wanda rolled her eyes. "God, Steve. You're starting to sound like Tony."

Steve bit his lip.

"And speaking of bad ideas," she continued, "remind me again, who's idea was it to move to Brooklyn?" Wanda raised her eyebrows, grinning.

Steve sighed. "Fine, you got me there. Just- just don't do anything stupid, okay?"

"I won't."

A banging came from the door, causing both Steve and Wanda to jump out of their seats.

"Let me in 'cause I'm not going to be carrying these for much longer!" A familiar voice yelled from the other side of the door.

Steve scrambled towards the door and yanked it open. "Jeez, Natasha, could you be any louder?" he said to the blonde woman carrying two briefcases outside the apartment.

"I could," Natasha smirked. "Would you like me to demonstrate?"

"No!" Steve said, pulling her into the room and shutting the door behind her.

"Calm down," Natasha told him, dumping the briefcases on the counter. "No one can deduce that Captain America is living here just by me shouting at you to open the door."

Steve shook his head, unamused, as Wanda got up from her chair.

"Hey, Natasha!" She smiled and then added "I love the new look," acknowledging the other woman's dyed hair.

Natasha frowned and blew one of her newly blonde strands of hair out of her face. "Well at least someone does, seeing that I absolutely despise it."

"Then why did you dye it?" Wanda asked.

"For the same reason he did," Natasha nodded at Steve. "I'm on the run. I can't have my bright red locks waving around like a beacon, now can I?"

When he'd originally heard that Natasha was wanted by the U.S. government, Steve had automatically assumed T'Challa had revealed that she'd prevented him from catching Bucky at the airport. But as Steve later discovered, the camera tapes were the real culprit- Secretary Ross had extracted them from Germany a week after the battle and seen Natasha's betrayal first-hand. After that, the former assassin had joined 'Team Cap' on the run. But unlike everyone else, she hadn't picked a single spot to hide out in- she was always on the move.

"Alrighty, let's get to the point," Natasha said, sliding one of the black briefcases over to Wanda and one over to Steve. "I'm giving enough for four months this time versus the two months I've given before because I'm not planning on being in the area any time soon."

Steve nodded and unlatched the case. The stacks of twenties, fives, and ones were piled up on top of each other, neatly organized by worth. "That's a lot of money. Remind me, where are you getting it?"

"It's not as much as it seems," Natasha said. "Don't spend on anything you don't need, don't splurge on anything you don't want." She smirked at her own words of advice. "Well, it looks like I've become a goddamn Yoda."

"What's a goddamn Yoda?"

Natasha looked at Steve, confused at first and then rolled her eyes. "I still can't believe nobody's shown you Star Wars yet."

He looked at Wanda for clarification, who shrugged. "Is Star Wars something I'm supposed to have seen?"

"God, Steve, everyone's supposed to have seen Star Wars! It's a classic!" Natasha paused, then added, "Well, not as classic as you..."

"Very funny."

"I know, right." Natasha checked her watch. "Alright, I got to go," she said, making her way to the door.

"Where?" Wanda asked.

"I've got places to be, kid," Natasha replied. "I'm thinking about heading down to Florida or maybe up to Maine..." She unlocked the door and stepped outside. Steve followed her to the entrance.

"You know, Natasha," Steve told her before she could leave, "You never told me where you got the money from."

She turned back around to face him. "I have my sources."

"What are your sources?"

Natasha grinned at him. "That, captain, is none of your business." And with that, she shut the door in Steve's face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Thanks for reading chapter three! Did anyone understand the Ms. Marvel reference? 'Cause I couldn't help slipping it in. Remember, please vote, give kudos, comment, share or whatever. I'd appreciate it!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 2/09/18


	4. Kathleen Capers

The drone zoomed in on the face of the blonde woman exiting the apartment complex, snapping a picture before she could draw up her hood.

Kathleen Capers adjusted her glasses and smiled at the photograph through the computer monitor. It was a beautiful shot, the identity of the woman obviously shown. With a few clicks of the keyboard, Capers sent the drone back to base, all her attention now focused on the picture of the woman.

It was Natasha Romanoff, former assassin, Avenger in hiding.

Now what would Natasha Romanoff be doing in a run down apartment complex?

The answer was obvious- she'd be hiding something.

Or in this case, someone.

"General Hudson!" Capers called to her boss. "You're going to want to see this, sir!" The looming figure of the general appeared behind Capers and she enlarged the photograph for him to see. "Natasha Romanoff, exiting Westside Apartment Complex."

General Hudson didn't take his eyes off the photograph but spoke, "So that's where the monsters live."

"Steve Rogers and Wanda Maximoff to be exact. The location of the other three is yet to be determined." Capers slid her chair over to the other monitors. She began typing vigorously on the keyboard, the layers of code flying from her brain and onto the computer screen. "I've been hacking the Stark mainframe," she explained, "which should eventually reveal the locations of the other people."

"Monsters," the general corrected harshly.

"Monsters, sir," Capers agreed. She wanted them dead almost as much as General Hudson, but she sometimes found herself in the trap of thinking the monsters were human.

The light on the top of the screen changed from red to green and Capers gave a little gasp. "I'm in!" she shouted happily, then quieted down as the general glared at her. Files and security footage from Stark Industries flooded the screen. Capers scrolled through them, looking for anything of importance. "Aha!" she exclaimed as she came across a video from the kitchen in the Avengers Facility. The date on the bottom was from a day ago, and it showed a green and red android cooking a dish with utmost delicacy. "Vision- staying at the Avengers Base," she told her boss.

"That I could have assumed." The general turned back to the computer screen. "What about the location of the monster in red?"

Capers slid her chair closer to the monitor. "Spider-Man?" She typed the name into the search bar and looked through the selected files. "We don't know his name nor identity, sir, so this one's going to require some digging." One file stood out to Capers and she clicked on it. It was a receipt from an order placed by Tony Stark. "Eight months ago, Stark ordered a custom-made, interactive suit labeled Spider-Man."

"And?"

"If I can hack the coding of the interactive portion of the suit, I'll be able to access all the information it has stored about the man inside of it."

Capers used her hacking skills yet again, and before ten minutes had even passed, she had all the information from Spider-Man's suit loaded onto the computer. She clicked on the 'Information' tab. Both General Hudson and Capers leaned forward to read to letters on the screen.

Name: Peter Parker

Alias: Spider-Man

Age: 15 years old

Height: 5' 8"

Weight: 156 lbs

Capers stared at the screen in disbelief. "Spider-Man is a kid?"

"Which makes this all so much easier," General Hudson said with a malicious smile. "If the monster is a child, it will be at a certain place seven hours a day, five days a week." He paced for a second and then turned to Capers. "Give me the location of the monster's high school."

Capers spun around in her chair to face the general. "Why do you need it?"

Hudson frowned at her. "So I can send a team into the school and gain custody of the monster."

Capers shook her head. "Sir, you can't just send a government-affiliated team into a high school and kidnap a child." Although Hudson was the boss, she often found herself reminding him that there were such things as laws. "If you do, then we're exposed and the rest of the government will know what we've been doing behind their back."

"What I'm doing behind their back is ridding the world of a menace," the general growled.

"A menace that is known to the rest of the world as heroes."

General Hudson bend down and his face was so close that she could smell his stale breath. "Maybe it's time we expose ourselves, Capers, and put our plan into action. Give me the location of the monster's high school." He stood up straight again and she flinched away. "I will not ask again."

"Yes, sir." Capers clicked through the tracking log, and although it was disabled about six months ago, the device still held the locations of all the places it had been before. "Midtown School of Science and Technology," she finally said, reading the only school on the list.

General Hudson didn't respond, instead he walked across the dimly lit room and pressed the blinking red button of the built-in microphone. "Attention, all soldiers," he spoke, his voice blaring through the intercom. "Your first location is Westside Apartment Complex, Brooklyn. Your second location is the Avengers Headquarters, upstate New York. Your third and final location during this mission is Midtown High School, Queens, New York." He paused and then added-

"Go kill those monsters."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Thanks for reading! Remember, please vote, give kudos, comment, share or whatever. I'd appreciate it!
> 
> I'm going to see Black Panther tomorrow and I'm beyond excited! Who's seen it already or going to se it soon?
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 2/16/18


	5. Natasha Romanoff

Natasha felt exposed walking down the crowded streets of Brooklyn. As she pulled her hood up over her head, she saw something black fly above her through the corner of her eye. She glanced up, but whatever it was, it was already gone. A plane? Natasha thought to herself. A drone? She chuckled to herself, wondering when she’d become this paranoid.

Actually, she knew exactly when she became paranoid.

Eight months ago, just like everyone else.

Natasha passed under the window of Steve’s apartment, and the thought of her former partner made her regret slamming the door in his face ever so slightly. It was just that she couldn’t have stayed much longer and risk telling him where she’d got the money from. As much as she hated keeping the secret from him, she knew he’d never accept the cash if he knew.

As she walked farther away from the center of the city, the streets became almost deserted and Natasha relaxed a little bit. She could see the misty field from a distance, the dark silhouette of her ride barely visible. No one would ever see it from the city unless they knew what they were looking for. She picked up her pace and headed towards the field. As she approached the plane, the lights flickered on and the engine started up. On the tail was the flashy title, ‘Avengers’, shining through the mist. The door opened and Natasha climbed up into the plane.

“Welcome, Natasha Romanoff,” an automated female voice spoke through the overhead speakers.

“Hello, F.R.I.D.A.Y,” Natasha replied, sinking down into one of the expensive couches in the back of the plane.

“Destination: Avengers Headquarters.”

“Correct.”

The engine whirred and Natasha felt the plane lifting into the sky.

“Enjoy your flight.”

Natasha smiled and eyed the bottle of champagne on the wall. “Don't worry, I will.”

But the flight from Brooklyn to upstate New York was a short one, and before Natasha could even debate whether or not it was smart to get drunk before a meeting, she was already at the Avengers Headquarters. The plane touched down on the front lawn of the facility, and Natasha stepped out, coat waving in the wind. It was sunnier in this part of New York, and Natasha blinked to get adjusted to the light. She could see a man waiting for her at the entrance, and she strolled up to him.

“Hey, Happy,” Natasha greeted the Stark security guard.

“Ms. Romanoff,” Happy Hogan replied. “Mr. Stark is waiting for you in the conference room.”

“Got it.”

Happy didn't even bother escorting her. Natasha got the feeling he realized by now that she knew her way around the Avengers base like the back of her hand. She climbed the stairs two at a time and opened the door to the conference room.

Tony sitting at the end of the long table, on his phone and absentmindedly spinning in his swivel chair. Natasha shut the door loudly and Tony's eyes flicked up to her in surprise. “Natasha!” He stopped spinning, typed the last few letters into his phone and set it down on the table. He shook his head and beckoned her over. “I didn't see you come in.”

Natasha sat down in the seat adjacent to him, but before she could utter a word, the smart phone buzzed on the table and a text lit up the screen.

Peter: The field trip was fine… Sorry I gtg- math test :(

Tony picked up the phone and typed something back.

“Am I interrupting something?” Natasha asked, eyebrows raised.

Turning off the device, Tony put it on the windowsill next to him. Natasha noticed that there was another phone next to it, a flip phone identical to the one she'd seen Steve carrying around.

“No, no, you're not interrupting anything,” Tony replied, taking a sip of his health shake.

“Good,” Natasha said, “because today Steve asked me where I got the money.”

Tony choked on his drink. “You didn't tell him, did you?” he asked, coughing.

Natasha shook her head. “No, but it won't be long before he figures out that there's only one person who would be willing to fund three fugitives monthly. He's not stupid, Tony. And if he doesn't realize, Wanda surely will.”

“I’m giving you enough cash to head down to Florida for a couple of months.” Tony pointed out. “Maybe he'll forget about it by then.”

Natasha raised her eyebrows.

“Or maybe not.”

“We could tell them the truth,” Natasha suggested, “that you've been giving them money.”

“You know we can't do that, Natasha. He'd never accept it if he knew.”

Both Tony and Natasha went quiet, staring off into space.

“Why do you do it, anyways?” Natasha finally asked, breaking the silence.

“Do what?”

“Give us money.”

Tony sighed, as if he'd been anticipating this question. “As much as I disagree with you all on certain things, I don't want to see you dying on the streets or at the hands of the government. The Avengers are my responsibility now, and whether you like it or not, you guys are in that category.”

“But we’re not part of the Avengers anymore.”

“Well,” Tony gave a ghost of a smile, “you guys are also my friends.” He took long sip of his drink before saying, “And friends don’t let each other down.”

Natasha looked down at the table. “You know, if Ross finds out that you've been lying to him and helping us, you'll be arrested for sure.”

Tony frowned at the mention of the Secretary. “Technically I'm not lying to him. When he asks me if I know where any of you are, I say no.”

Natasha rolled her eyes, but she had little to argue back with. Tony has insisted that she didn't tell him the locations of Steve, Wanda, or any other member of ‘Team Cap’, so he actually wasn't lying to Secretary Ross. “You know that won't stop him,” she told Tony. “You've communicated with us and that's plenty for him to arrest you with.”

“I'm his golden boy right now, Natasha. He wouldn't dare arrest one of the only Avengers who's still on his side- I'm untouchable.”

“Nobody's untouchable.”

Tony was looking at Natasha with mild confusion. “Are you trying to convince me not to give you money?”

“No, I'm truly grateful, Tony,” Natasha said, “but I want to make sure that you're aware of the risk factor.”

“I'm aware, Natasha, don't worry.” Tony reached under the table and pulled out a briefcase identical to the ones she'd given Steve and Wanda earlier. He slid it over to her and she grabbed it by the handle. “That should be enough for a trip to Florida and back. If it's not, contact me and I'll send some someone down with more.” He checked his watch. “I've got to go make a dinner reservation for tonight. Is everything good with you?”

Dinner was hours away so Natasha took it as her cue to leave. She picked up her briefcase and rose up out of her chair. As she turned to leave, her gaze moved across the row of televisions in front of her and a news title caught her eye.

Military personnel violently invade Brooklyn apartment complex, motive unknown.

“Oh, shit,” Natasha whispered under her breath.

Tony raised his eyebrows at her.

She turned around to face him and pointed at the screen. Tony raised his eyebrows higher and Natasha remembered that he had no idea where Steve was staying. “That apartment,” she explained frantically. “That's where-”

“-Steve and Wanda live.” Tony finished her sentence and, as he realized what was happening, his expression turned to stone.

Various plans were running through her head, but Natasha couldn't think of a single way she could make in back to Brooklyn in time to help Steve and Wanda escape the government yet again.

However, it seemed as if Tony wasn't in the same crisis as Natasha.

He turned around, and while simultaneously grabbing his phones, kicked through the window and jumped out into the air.

Natasha inhaled sharply and ran to the shattered glass. She looked down, but there was no mangled body lying in the grass. If fact, it was the opposite.

Iron Man was flying up towards her.

The yellow and red suit hovered in front of her and the voice of Tony came out of its metallic head-

“I guess it's time for me to go play hero.”

And the suit turned away, flying towards Brooklyn, New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Ahh! I completely forgot to post a chapter yesterday! I blame Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, 'cause I spent most of yesterday finishing up season 5. I hope you all forgive my forgetfulness and enjoy Nat's perspective!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 2/24/18


	6. Wanda Maximoff

"I cleaned the dishes, you make the lunch." Wanda smiled at Steve.

Steve gave a half-hearted sigh and got up from his position on the couch. "Fine..." he whined in a high pitched voice and Wanda laughed. Steve laughed with her but she didn't have to be a mind-reader to know that it wasn't a real one.

While Steve searched through the cupboard for something edible, Wanda scooped up the game pieces of Sorry! and dumped them back into the bag. Natasha had left a little over an hour ago, and the day dwindled away with various board games and weak conversations.

After she'd stored the game boxes back under the coffee table, Wanda headed into the kitchen. Steve was tossing random boxes of pasta onto the counter, as a boiling pot of water sizzled on the stove.

THUNK.

Wanda heard a noise come from behind her. She turned towards the window.

The end of a grappling hook was protruding out of the plaster above the frame- Wanda took a moment too long to realize what it was. Her eyes traveled to the scene outside the window. A long black cord was now stretching between the building next to the apartment and the wall in front of her.

And a man was sliding down it like a zip line, headed straight for the window.

"Get down!" Wanda screamed. She lunged towards Steve, who'd already fell to his knees, and send up an energy field around them both.

The window shattered into a million pieces, but the shards bounced harmlessly off of Wanda's glowing red shield. A man cloaked in all military gear sailed into the kitchen and landed in front of him of them.

"Die, monsters," he said, pointing his machine gun at them. And then he opened fire.

The bullets pelted against the force field at such close range that Wanda was shocked to find she didn't have enough power to defend and attack at the same time.

"There's more of them headed this way!" Steve yelled over the sound of the gun. Wanda looked to the window, and sure enough, there were more soldiers waiting across the makeshift zip line.

"We've got to get out of here!" she yelled back.

Steve nodded, eyeing the boiling pasta. The only way they could escape the cramped apartment was if they got past the man in front of them.

The soldier was advancing on them, slowly but steadily, his raining fire of bullets never ceasing to stop. He was less than five feet away and Wanda knew that now was the time to put their unspoken plan into action.

"NOW!" she screamed, releasing her force field and sliding behind the cabinet for cover. Steve seamlessly leaped over the counter, grabbed the pot on the stove, and flung it at the soldier. The man screamed as the boiling contents spilled over his head, dropping his machine gun as his hands flew to his face by reflex. Steve grabbed the weapon while simultaneously kicking the soldier out the open window. But as Steve recoiled from his kick, two more soldiers flew through the window, colliding with him and toppling to the ground. Wanda raised her hands to send an energy blast towards the men in black, but before she could release a wave, the door behind her flew open, slamming her in the side. Through dizzying spots, Wanda saw a dozen more soldiers spill in through the front door. They rushed past her, overlooking her presence completely, and positioned their guns on Steve. Outnumbered, Steve stopped wrestling with the two soldiers in front of him and slowly raised his hands.

"On your knees!" One of the military men in front of him barked. Steve did as he was told.

"We were told there was another freak," another soldier commented, "another monster. Where is she?"

Wanda quietly got to her feet and positioned herself behind the men. "Over here," she said with a smirk.

The soldiers barely had enough time to turn around before Wanda struck. Energy blast surged from her hands, pelting them all at once. She send three out the window, twisted the arms of another two, while slamming the rest into the concrete wall in front of her. She would have continued to disarm them, but Steve was already running towards the open door, grabbing her shoulder in the process, and yanking them both out of the trashed apartment.

"I wasn't done!" Wanda screamed over the shouts of the soldiers.

"We have to go!" Steve yelled back. "I'm betting that they sent more than just a dozen soldiers to capture two superhumans!"

Wanda sighed uneasily but took off after Steve down the hallway. They ran down the stairwell, past the other apartment doors, making a beeline towards the back exit. Heavy pairs of footsteps sounded behind them, but Wanda didn't dare to look. A gun clicked not far back and she sent a blast a red energy over her shoulder, tensing until a shout was heard behind her, confirming her shot. A shower of bullets flew past them, peppering the walls around them with tiny holes. Wanda couldn't resist a peek behind her. Three soldiers were pursuing them down the corridor, guns aimed and firing. Wanda turned around completely, raised both hands, and sent a energy wave down the hall. The men crumpled and she kept running. The red exit sign was in front of them and Steve shoved open the door, pushed Wanda out into the broad daylight, and slammed the door behind them. He pried the nearby parking sign from the ground and, with an amount of strength only a super-soldier could have, tied it around the handle of the door.

"That should delay them for a bit," Steve declared.

"Where to now?" Wanda asked, panting slightly.

Steve opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, he froze. "Listen..." he whispered.

Wanda listened. A low thrum was coming from above, louder and louder by the second.

"A helicopter!" Steve hissed. "Most likely filled with more of these drips," he added, gesturing to the door with the soldiers behind it.

"What do we do?" Wanda asked.

Steve surveyed their surroundings. They were standing in a back alley, filthy as all Brooklyn alleys were, with giant dumpsters on each side of the wall. "Get in the dumpster," he finally said.

"The dumpster?" Wanda repeated in disbelief. "They'll find us!"

Steve shook his head with a wisp of a smile. "I've had experience hiding in dumpsters." He kicked a crate towards trash bin and used it to hop in. "No one ever dares to look there."

Wanda sighed but climbed in as well. Steve buried them under the old furniture and boxes, the stench horrendously vivid. She held her breath, listening to every sound coming from the outside and hoping it wasn't any of the soldiers.

A minute passed.

So did another.

And another.

And another.

And-

The moldy pillow above Wanda was flung out of the way, along with the wooden barrell above Steve. A gleaming suit of red and gold was towering above them. The front part of Iron Man's mask flipped open.

"A dumpster?" Tony asked incredulously, rolling his eyes. "Really?"

"Tony," said Steve, his mouth a thin line.

"Steve," Tony replied. "You can thank me later for saving your ass," he flipped his helmet down for a second before sending it back up again, "but right now we've got to get out of here asap. I've scrambled the helicopter's communications for about four and a half more minutes."

"You're helping us?" Wanda asked, almost unbelievingly, as she slid out of the dumpster.

Tony threw his metallic arms in the air. "Of course I'm helping you! I didn't come all this way to eat popcorn and watch you guys get shot down."

"How do you plan on getting us out of here?" Steve climbed out of the dumpster, his face still expressionless.

Tony smirked. "And here's where it gets awesome."

As if on cue, two more suit of armor flew down from above and landed behind Tony. Wanda wouldn't have put it past him to have planned the timing in advance.

Steve raised his eyebrows. "Iron Man suits-"

"-with cloaking capabilities." Tony pressed a button on his wrist and both suits faded to match with the background, almost invisible in the small alley. He pressed the button again and they returned to a normal gray. "I was almost tempted to bring the Iron Patriot," he quipped, looking at Steve. "It seemed like more your style." Wanda heard the amusement in Tony's voice but his eyes were dry and humorless. Steve never really told her what happened between them when they were up against Zemo.

She wasn't sure she really wanted to know.

"Is this a good idea?" she asked, eyeing the suits.

"If you're panicking on how to work them- don't. They'll follow my lead the whole way back to the facility." His eyes lingered on Steve for a split second, "Don't worry about screwing up anything."

"We're going to the Avengers facility?" Steve was looking Tony in the eye, his mouth curved into a small frown.

"Do you have a different destination in mind?"

Steve sighed and shook his head.

"Okay, then. Suit up," Tony pressed a different button on his wrist. All at once, the suits broke apart, swarming around Wanda and Steve like a tornado. Wanda gasped as the suit rebuilt itself around her. Tony's voice was in her head now, coming through the speakers on either side of the helmet. "Alrighty. Let's go escape the government, fly to the Avengers facility, and pretend we're not just a bunch of broken people who tried to save the world."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Surprise! A Monday chapter! I'm worried that I'll run out of time before Infinity War so I'm decided to upload one chapter early. I'll do that occasionally, so always check back often. Love you all!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 2/26/18


	7. The Vision

The paprikash was correct.

Each ingredient was flawlessly measured, each step was followed exactly as written.

It had taken Vision eight months to perfect his paprikash.

He could almost feel the emotion of disappointment running through his wiring. The disappointment that she would never get to taste it.

“Hey, Vision,” a voice sounded from behind him. Vision rotated in the air to face Natasha. She was walking into the kitchen, a black briefcase in one hand.

“Hello, Ms. Romanoff,” Vision replied. “I was not anticipating for you to stay this long for one of Tony’s meetings.”

Natasha sighed. “Yeah, well I wasn't anticipating for him to jump out of a window.”

“Pardon me?”

“He jumped out of a window, flew up in his Iron Man suit, and zoomed off to Brooklyn.”

Vision began pouring the paprikash gently in a bowl, making sure not to spill any of it on the countertop. “What business did he have in Brooklyn?”

Natasha was glancing out the window every few seconds. “He went to rescue Steve and Wanda.”

Vision’s hand slipped, dripping the food on the side of the bowl. “Rescue from whom?”

“The government,” Natasha replied, prying her eyes away from the window.

Vision felt as if his circuits were about to overload but he forced himself to clean up the spilt paprikash.

“We knew they were going to be found eventually,” Natasha continued, “but I just didn't know it would be so soon.”

“Vision, have you seen T-” Pepper walked into the kitchen, her voice stopping abruptly as her eyes fell on Natasha. “Nat? You're still here?”

“Tony jumped out of a window,” Vision explained.

“WHAT?”

“-and landed in his Iron Man suit,” Natasha added, shooting a glance at Vision. “Steve and Wanda have been located. He went to go rescue them.”

Pepper bit her lip. “Is he bringing them here?”

“I assume…” Natasha glanced out the window, looking up at the sky for a flash of yellow and red.

“Ms. Potts,” the voice of F.R.I.D.A.Y. came through the overhead speakers. “There's a group of men waiting for you at the door.”

Pepper’s brow creased. “I wasn't expecting anyone.” She turned towards the hallway, heading for the front entrance. “I'll be back in a moment.”

Vision nodded but Natasha barely glanced in her direction, her eyes still glued to the sky outside the window.

Barely a few seconds had passed before a scream erupted from the hallway.

Natasha was up in a flash, charging around the corner as Vision flew after her.

There were four men dressed in all military gear standing in the doorway.

And one of them had a machine gun pressed into Pepper’s shoulder.

“Get off me!” Pepper growled, pushing the gun off her. Surprisingly, the soldier did as she said. Vision was told Pepper had that commanding effect on people.

However, the man just shifted his gun to point at Vision. Natasha stood protectively in front of him. “Move, woman,” another soldier told her. “This is between us and the monster only.” He cocked his gun.

“Over my dead body,” Natasha snarled.

“We can make that happen.”

A younger soldier shook his head. “Stun, not kill,” he attempted to whisper. “We've got orders for the humans.”

“Orders from whom?” Pepper asked, still standing next to the tall man.

The soldier frowned. “Enough talking.”

And they opened fire.

“Fly!” screamed Natasha.

Vision flew.

He soared above the soldiers, as they craned their guns to follow him. Out of the corner of his eye, Vision could see Natasha whipping out two handguns from her pocket. She fired, nailing the soldiers in their arms and legs. She wasn't aiming to kill.

Vision did another loop in the air to avoid the rain of bullets. He fired a blast from the stone on his forehead, following Natasha's lead and aiming for the guns. He dived past Pepper, who kicked her high heels into the tall soldier’s crotch. The soldier yelled out, and Natasha shot him in the leg. Three soldiers were harmed, with only one remaining upright and fighting. The uninjured one was young, his boyish features causing Vision to estimate his age at about 23. He was was holding his gun out in front of him, still in an attacking stance, although his team was obviously defeated. The young soldier reached into his pocket, pulling out at small round object.

“A grenade!” Natasha hissed, still pointing her weapon at the men in front of her.

“Let us retreat,” the soldier with the bomb said, “or I release this.”

“You wouldn't dare,” Pepper retorted. “You’d blow us all to pieces!”

“You underestimate my loyalty to General Hudson.”

“General who?”

“Let us retreat,” the soldier repeated with gritted teeth.

Natasha hesitated. There was a long pause, then she finally lowered her gun.

The soldier released a breath. Still clutching the grenade, he helped his team to their feet. The four soldier stumbled outside, the door shutting behind them. Vision flew to the window with Natasha and Pepper on his heels. The soldiers were getting into a military plane, and before anyone could utter a word, it took off and sped into the clouds.

There was a pause.

“What just happened,” Pepper asked, breaking the silence.

“The government attacked the Avengers Facility,” Vision answered.

Natasha shook her head. “There is no way that was the government. They tried to kill you, Vision. The government can't just do that, especially after you signed the Sokovia Accords.”

“The plane had the United States government emblem in the wing. So did the soldiers’ uniforms.”

“They saw me, Vision,” Natasha argued back. “They saw me, a fugitive, and they didn't do anything.” She shook her head again. “There's no way that was the government.”

Vision didn't say anything back but he didn't agree with her either. All the evidence he's observed backed up his statement. That team was part of the U.S. government.

He turned towards the foyer, and through the broad glass door, he could just make out a humanoid figure soaring through the air towards them. He turned to Natasha and Pepper-

“They’re here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> When you 'subtly' ship Wanda and Vision. 
> 
> Yep, I just uploaded another impromptu chapter (did you know that Infinity War is only 10 weeks away?) Hope you all don't mind!
> 
> Read, give your kudos, vote, whatever! And have a happy Tuesday!
> 
> -Foxbowl 
> 
> 2/27/18


	8. Pepper Potts

"They're here," Vision repeated as Pepper and Natasha turned to face the door. Squinting her eyes, Pepper could just make out what Vision was referring to. There was a single figure flying through the air towards them- Pepper had known Tony long enough to be able to tell it was an Iron Man suit.

A single Iron Man suit.

"It's only him," Pepper said. "It's only Tony." Her heart felt a pang, small but there. What had happened?

The suit landed on the front lawn, sending up an ounce of dirt into the air. It opened, swirling into the air and rebuilding itself behind Tony. Tony pressed a button on his wrist and-

Behind the red and yellow one, two more suits appeared, as if conjured out of thin air. They opened as well, Steve and Wanda stumbling out.

It seemed as if all the tension in the hallway dissolved as the fugitives and philanthropist walked down the lawn and up the steps to the Avengers facility.

"Tony!" Pepper smiled as he opened the door.

"Pepper!" he responded, his smile just as big as hers.

"The government attacked us," said Vision.

Pepper sighed. "Vision, timing, please."

Tony's eyes widened and Steve shouted, "The government did what?"

"We got attacked," Natasha explained, shooting a glance at Vision, "by an agency that looked like the government. Black outfits, machine guns-"

"-government emblems," Vision cut in.

"They barged in when Pepper opened the door," Natasha continued, "and tried to kill Vision. They said they weren't allowed to hurt us," she gestured to herself and Pepper, "and called Vision a..." she paused. "What did they call him again?"

"A monster," Pepper finished.

"A monster?" asked Wanda. "That's what the government agents who attacked Steve's apartment called us."

"The government attacked you?" Natasha asked.

Steve nodded. "A dozen soldiers crashed through the window, kicked down the door, and attempted to shoot us down."

"That couldn't have been the government," Natasha argued. " That's doing is cold-blooded murder!"

"I ran scans on the helicopter pursuing Steve and Wanda before I scrambled it's communications," Tony said. "It's a government vehicle."

"So how did you all manage to escape?" Pepper asked, changing the topic intentionally.

Tony smiled and Pepper knew that he was about to explain some ingenious plan of his. "I used my suits with cloaking abilities to help smuggle our two fugitives out of their little dumpster."

"Dumpster?"

"Don't ask," said Wanda.

"We flew right passed the government," Tony continued. "They probably thought that it was Iron Man just flying by."

"The cloaking suits," Pepper asked. "Aren't those just prototypes?"

Tony shrugged. "Well... yes."

"I thought you told me that those were flickering. That they couldn't stay invisible for long."

He shrugged again. "They only started flickering once we made it a few miles away from the apartment complex."

Pepper felt like her head was about to explode at his reckless decision, but before she could say anything, Tony was grabbing her hand.

"Relax. Nobody saw me."

"Sir, Secretary Ross is pulling up in his car. He claims that he saw you."

"Shit."

Tony cursed- either at F.R.I.D.A.Y, who delivered the news, or himself- Pepper didn't know.

All pairs of eyes simultaneously looked out the window. A sleek black car was pulling into the driveway. A few more yards and anyone inside of it would be able to see directly through the glass doors.

"Everyone!" Tony yelled, frantically. "Get into... the closet!" He yanked open the door of the nearby shoe closet.

"There's no way we can all fit in here!" Wanda argued.

"I'll make you all fit in here!" Tony replied, shoving Wanda, Natasha, and Steve into the closet.

The car was almost to the front of the building.

"Vision!" Tony commanded. "Stand guard!"

Vision put himself into a fighting position in front of the closet.

Tony nodded uncomfortably. "Look a bit more... natural."

Vision leaned himself casually against the closet door.

"Good enough," Tony said just as the door of the car opened.

A diminutive man emerged from the vehicle, his suit as gray as his hair and a scowl etched across his face. Tony reached across Pepper and opened the door.

"Mr. Stark," The man said in a form of a greeting as he stepped into the foyer.

"Ross," Tony replied, his own features changing to match the frown on the other man's face. "How can I help you?"

"I assume you received my message?"

"Which one?" Tony asked. "I've received a lot of messages from you lately, most of which I delete."

Ross let out the inaudible sigh much associated with Tony Stark. "Some of my colleagues saw you flying over Brooklyn in your suit about half an hour ago."

"I was taking it for a spin. Is that a crime?"

"It's a bit... suspicious that you were flying near Brooklyn," Ross continued, "where Steve Rogers and Wanda Maximoff were sighted less than an hour ago."

Tony's eyes widened in what Pepper knew was mock surprise. "You found them?"

"One of the generals did," Ross said, "without alerting me, I must admit. But he lost them. I was wondering if you had anything do with their disappearance."

"You're asking me if I'm hiding them?"

Ross didn't say anything.

"You forget my relationship with Captain America and his team right now, Secretary. I want them captured as much as you do."

While the men continued to argue some more, Pepper thought back to what the young soldier had said while holding the grenade.

You underestimate my loyalty to General Hudson.

"The general who went after Captain America? Was his name Hudson?" Pepper interrupted.

Ross' brow furrowed. "Yes, actually. How did you kn-"

"General Hudson's soldiers were the ones who attacked Vision," Pepper said.

"Attacked Vision?" Ross repeated, his eyes floating towards where Vision was standing.

Vision saluted, still standing awkwardly at the closet door.

Tony coughed loudly and Ross returned his attention to the people in front of him.

"What do you mean Vision was attacked?" Ross asked.

"Why don't you explain what the Secretary Ross' general did, Vision," Tony said, still glaring at Ross.

"Four soldiers entered the Avengers facility, shot at me, and then left after defeat," Vision responded.

"They claimed that they were from General Hudson," Pepper added.

Secretary Ross' frown deepened and his eyes widened just a bit. He was shocked, Pepper could tell, but he kept his posture.

"I apologize," Ross said, "I'm sure there was a misunderstanding somewhere in the general's communications to his soldiers-"

"A misunderstanding," Tony repeated incredulously. "Vision, who very publicly signed the Sokovia Accords, was almost murdered-"

"-I was almost shot, and this whole building was almost blown up by a grenade," Pepper added. "That was no misunderstanding."

Ross nodded. "The general will be dealt with, I assure you." He turned towards the door slightly. "Thank you for your time, Mr. Stark, Ms. Potts." He glanced at the closet and Pepper's heart skipped a beat. "Thank you, Vision."

And with that, Secretary Ross opened the door and stepped out.

The black car receded down the driveway and Vision opened the closet door- Natasha, Steve, and Wanda stumbling out.

"So it was the government who attacked us," Natasha commented, looking from Steve to Wanda to Vision.

Tony nodded. "But from what I got out of that conversation, Ross had no idea they were planning to come after Steve, Wanda, or Vision. This man- General Hudson, right?- seems to be acting alone."

"He's only going for select people, though," Steve spoke up. He'd been quiet, Pepper had noticed, but she hadn't known him long enough to know if it was uncharacteristic. "This general's gone after me, Wanda, and Vision."

"One of the soldiers said that they weren't allowed to hurt 'humans'," Pepper noted.

"What's something we all have in common?" Wanda asked. "Maybe he's trying to hurt only us because of a specific reason."

Everyone was silent for a moment. Silent and thinking.

Pepper thought about it herself.

What did they all have in common?

Vision could fire blasts from his head and phase through walls.

Wanda could manipulate thoughts and send objects flying into the air.

Steve could lift a car and run miles without breaking a sweat.

And the silence was finally broken.

"Superhuman powers," Pepper said. "That's what you all have in common."

"The people- or androids- with superpowers are the ones being targeted," Natasha thought out loud.

"Bucky," Wanda whispered.

Steve shook his head slightly. "No, he's safe."

"Do we know anyone else with powers that could be in harm's way?" Natasha asked.

Pepper felt Tony stiffen beside her. She looked at him, surprised, and found his face plastered with raw fear.

"Tony?" she asked. "What is it?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he looked up and said, "F.R.I.D.A.Y, call Midtown High School."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Infinity War is opening one week earlier and it's really messing with my fanfiction plans... but at the same time INFINITY WAR IS OPENING ONE WEEK EARLIER AND THAT'S AWESOME, DUDE! I'll probably be uploading a bit more often throughout the week but always on Fridays. 
> 
> Ps. Who's excited for the return of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D tonight? (I AM!)
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 3/02/18


	9. Midtown High School

Peter Parker tapped his pencil on the desk, staring out the window of the classroom. He knew he should be checking the answers to his test, but he couldn’t bring his attention back to the page long enough to go over one on the long-winded equations again.

The only thing Peter wanted to do was put on the red and blue suit in his backpack and swing through the streets of New York.

He’d been away on a sleepaway camp the last couple weeks. Aunt May had made him leave his suit at home and, unlike most of his classmates, Peter had missed the crime-filled alleys of Queens.

Was being crime-sick a thing?

“Psst, Parker!” A voice to the side of him startled Peter out of his thoughts. He looked across the row of desks, only to find Flash Gordon giving him a mocking smile. “What’s the answer to number four?” he asked.

“I’m not telling you,” Peter replied, looking back out the window.

“C’mon, Parker,” Flash complained. “Don’t be a jerk.”

“I’m not being a jerk.”

“Then tell me the answer.”

Peter hesitated, before saying, “Fine. It’s Napoléon.”

Flash turned back to his paper, but only for a second before yelling, “This is is math test!”

“Is there a problem?” The teacher asked.

Throwing a sly grin in Peter’s direction, Flash said, “Peter’s cheating off my test!”

“No, I wasn’t! He was cheating off me!”

“He’s a liar, I sw-”

The bell rang and Peter sprang towards the door, one period closer to freedom.

_____________________________

Midtown High School had dealt with a boatload of craziness. A decathlon team had almost plummeted to the ground from the top of the Washington Monument. A girl’s father had turned out to be a psycho supervillain vulture machine. But despite remembering about all this, Coach Wilson’s gym class was not prepared for a helicopter to touchdown in the middle of the football field.

The copter was a military green, the emblem of the U.S. government displayed proudly on the tail. It’s rotating blades sent grass and debris flying in every direction, causing even the sports stars to scramble for cover.

“HEY!” yelled Coach Wilson, waving his arms at the helicopter. “HEY! YOU CAN’T LAND HERE! YOU’RE MESSING UP THE TURF!” He shouted some profanities at the copter that any student in Midtown would be written up for repeating.

Despite Coach Wilson’s hopeless shouts, the helicopter slowly landed on the field. Every students’ eyes turned simultaneously to the opening door of the vehicle.

Three men fully cloaked in military gear stepped out of the helicopter. The soldier in front strode over to the students, each one of them holding their breaths.

The man stopped in front of Coach Wilson. “Is there a problem, sir?”

Coach Wilson glanced at the soldier’s massive machine gun, his eyes bulging. “N-no, sir. No problem at all.”

“That’s what I thought.” The military man signaled to his team and Coach Wilson’s gym class silently watched them march through the doors of Midtown High School.

_____________________________

“Hey, Peter!”

Peter turned to look behind him as someone shouted his name. Ned was sprinting down the hallway, his open backpack spilling out papers as he ran to catch up with his best friend.

“Hey, Ned,” Peter grinned, scooping up some of the papers on the floor next to him.

Ned shoved them back into his backpack. “Guess what?”

“What?”

Ned was practically bouncing out of excitement. “I got the Lego Millennium Falcon!”

“Whoa! That’s awesome!” Peter’s face lit up.

“You have to come help me build it tonight,” Ned said, walking down the hall next to Peter.

Peter shook his head. “I don’t think I can, Ned. Aunt May doesn’t like me staying out late anymore. Every since she found out you-know-what, it’s like I’m on house arrest!”

“C’mon, Peter! I watched porn for you! This is the least you can do to repay me.”

“For the last time, you didn’t actually watch porn. Stop trying to use that against me.”

“Please,” Ned complained, “It can’t take more than a couple of hours if we work together- it’s a whole lot less than the Death Star.”

Peter sighed. He wanted to hang out with Ned, he really did, but facing the wrath of Aunt May seemed a whole lot scarier than disappointing his friend. “I’ll see,” he finally said.

“Yes!”

Both boys turned into the last classroom in the hall, sliding into their seats just as the bell rang. Peter took out his notebook, glanced up at the clock, and prepared for the last class of the day.

_____________________________

“I’m sorry,” the secretary at the front desk said, “but I’m not permitted to let anyone other than teachers and students into the school.” She glanced nervously at the soldier’s gun in front of her. “And I’m most certainly not permitted to let weapons onto school grounds either.”

The soldier in front of her was getting impatient, as were the three behind him. “Lady, I have orders from the United States Government.”

The secretary gulped but continued to glare defiantly at the men looming over her. “And I have orders from the school.”

“Are you going to let us in or not?”

The phone rang on the secretary’s desk but she ignored it. “I will not be letting you in.”

The soldier sighed, slowly turning back to the exit.

The secretary sighed as well, glad that the she’d won the argument.

But then the soldier whipped around, and the last thing the secretary saw was the butt of a gun flying towards her head.

_____________________________

“Yo nunca pasar tiempo con mis amigos después la escuela,” Peter said.

“What friends?” Flash whispered not-so quietly.

Peter rolled his eyes but it didn’t stop the class from laughing.

“Enough, Flash,” Ms. Warren, the spanish teacher, said. “Can someone tell me what the conjugates of pensar are?”

Before anyone could answer, the door to the classroom slammed open. Four men, clad in black military gear and armed with machine guns, were standing at the door.

There was a tingling in his arms and head, Peter’s attention immediately perking up.

“May I help you?” Ms. Warren asked uncertainty.

“We’re looking for a Peter Parker,” the soldier in the front said. “Is he in this class?”

Every student in the room simultaneously turned towards Peter. Slowly, Peter reached into his backpack, folded his web-shooters into his palm, and discretely slipped them into his pocket without anyone noticing.

“I’m not so sure that you’re allowed to be in-” Ms. Warren began, but the other three soldiers were already advancing towards the back of the classroom.

The one in front reached out to grab Peter’s arm but Peter dodged around him, stumbling out of his chair and backing away. The other two soldiers trained their guns on him.

“Excuse me!” Ms. Warren yelled, jabbing a finger at the lead soldier. “Get your guns off my student this instant!”

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter saw the soldier pushed Ms. Warren’s finger away. “Ma’am, this little monster has got himself into some trouble. We’ve got orders to take him into custody.”

The class looked back at Peter. “I didn’t do anything!” he shouted, dodging another soldier’s attempt to grab him.

“That’s it!” Ms. Warren reached for the phone on her desk. “I’m calling the office!”

But before her fingers could even brush the phone, there was a click of someone reloading a gun.

The lead soldier’s gun was pointed at her. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” he warned. Ms. Warren glared at him but she didn’t pick up the phone. The soldier smiled, a grim and humorless smile, and signaled to the three other soldiers. “Get the monster.”

The soldiers advanced. Peter was backing into a corner now, the guns dangerously close to him. He fingered the web shooter in his pocket. He could beat all of these men, he knew that, but every student in his spanish class was staring at him. Peter knew that if he went all superhero-mode on these soldiers, he would never be able to have the secret identity he was so intent on keeping.

These were government soldiers.

They were the good guys, right?

The soldiers were almost in reaching distance and Peter was all the way in the corner. He make eye-contact with Ned. His friend was holding up a phone, just high enough for Peter to see it. It was Peter’s phone, and on the screen Peter could just make out the words ‘Mr. Stark’. The soldiers pointed their guns at him and suddenly they didn’t look so much like the good guys anymore. Slowly and subtly, Peter nodded at Ned.

And the two seconds Peter took his eyes off the soldiers were the chance they needed. A tingling was in his neck, but before Peter could react, a butt of a machine gun was slamming into his head.

He crumpled and everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Another chapter published!
> 
> I've been neglecting my writing duties and I haven't wrote any chapters of this fic recently and I'm worried that my posting schedule will catch up and I won't be done or Infinity War will come out and I won't be done- please get help.
> 
> Ps. S.H.I.E.L.D 100 is out tonight and I'm excited yet again.
> 
> Pps. Sorry if my Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D nerdiness is bothering you- I can't contain all these feels.
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 3/9/18


	10. Steve Rogers

“No answer, sir.”

Tony cursed, with words that made Steve almost flinch. “Call them again,” he told F.R.I.D.A.Y. “And if they don’t answer, call them some more.”

“Calling Midtown High School… again.”

“Why are you calling a high school?” asked Steve, his brow creased. “I hardly think it’s relevant with super-human people who are in danger… ”

Tony ignored him, still staring up at F.R.I.D.A.Y’s speaker, waiting for a response.

Steve looked back to the group. Pepper’s eyes were wide, almost as much as Tony’s, and she was staring up at the speaker as well. Whatever Tony was doing, she knew what it was.

“What’s going on?” Wanda asked, just as clueless as Steve.

There was no answer from neither Tony nor Pepper.

Steve turned to the rest of the people. To his surprise, Natasha was frowning, confused. Natasha. Confused. It was a sight he rarely saw. She met Steve’s glance and all of a sudden her eyes lit up with realization. “The kid,” she mouthed.

“What kid?” Steve asked.

“The kid from the airport,” Natasha said out loud. “The one who Tony brought in.” She looked to Pepper for clarification.

Pepper bit her lip and nodded.

“There wasn’t a kid at the airport,” Steve said, but as the words came out of his mouth, the battle in Germany replayed in his memories. There was a person on Tony’s side that Steve didn’t know, a young man dressed in a spider-like suit.

“No answer, sir,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke.

“Damn it,” Tony growled, kicking the wall beside him. His boot left a black imprint on the wall but that didn’t stop him from kicking it again.

“Call his cellphone,” Pepper offered.

“He had a math test today. It’ll be turned off.”

“Tony,” Steve said, “That man in the red suit with you at the airport. He… wasn’t a man?”

Tony shook his head. “Peter’s a highschooler.”

The memory of a giant walkway dropping down on the kid was giving Steve an unpleasant taste in his mouth. “A highschooler?” Steve repeated incredulously. “You brought a kid into battle?” He’d always doubted Tony’s morals, but this was still unbelievable for him.

“A kid with superpowers, Steve. Not to mention, I gave him a high-tech suit that would protect him,” Tony retorted. He glanced at Wanda. “What exactly did you do for the younger people on your team?”

“Wanda is a legally an adult,” Steve argued back. “That kid is…”

“-fifteen,” Natasha completed.

“Fifteen!” Steve repeated, slightly stunned at how young the kid actually was.

“There is no way you didn’t realize Peter was a kid,” Tony said exasperatedly. “According to him, you two actually had a conversation.” He glared at Steve. “Before you dropped an airport ramp on him.”

“I didn’t know he was fifteen!” Steve countered. “I thought he was Wanda’s age, at least!”

“Oh, please,” Tony said, rolling his eyes. “There is not way you thought he was younger than eighteen. He was talking about Star Wars!”

“I don’t even know what Star Wars is!”

“Wait, how do you not know what St-” Before Tony could finish, a ringing sounded from the speakers overhead.

“Incoming call from Peter Parker,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said.

“Answer it!” Tony practically yelled.

“Answering the call…”

“Mr. Stark!” a voice said from the speaker.

“Peter!” Tony gasped. “Peter, are you alright?”

“This isn’t Peter, Mr. Stark,” the voice said, frantically. “I’m Ned, Peter’s friend!”

“Ned? Why do you have Peter’s ph-?”

But the voice, Ned, was talking before Tony could even finish. “These men walked in and they wanted Peter but our teacher wouldn’t let them but they threatened her and went after Peter anyway but Peter couldn’t go all Spider-Man on them because our class was watching so he signaled me to call you but then the man hit him over the head with a gun and he collapsed and they scooped him up and carried him away and I don’t know what to do!” Ned blurted.

Tony’s eyes widened but he kept his voice calm, probably for the sake of the boy on the phone. “Ned, slow down,” he said. “Take a deep breath and give me the facts.”

Ned took a breath then started again. “A bunch of men came into our school and kidnapped Peter,” he said shakily.

“Ned…” Tony said slowly. “Did these men dress like U.S. soldiers by any chance?”

“How did you know that?”

Tony’s jaw clenched. “I’ll be there in a second, Ned, okay?”

“Y-yeah, okay.”

“I’m hanging up now.” Tony pressed a button on his watch and the call disconnected.

Nobody spoke.

Tony stared at the wall for a good five seconds, then ripped his watch off and threw it against the wall with such force that even Natasha flinched. The watched shattered next to Vision, who looked down at the fresh mark on the wall with disapproval.

“Damn it, damn it, DAMN IT!” shouted Tony.

“Tony-” Pepper began.

“Don’t you ‘Tony’ me, Pepper,” he yelled. “I should have been there to stop these soldiers! I should have put two and two together!” He stared up at the ceiling and then stomped on the floor. “Super-human people are being targeted, of course!” Tony paced, grabbing a lock of his hair and pulling. “I can’t- I just can’t-” Tony stopped abruptly. He looked down at his broken watch then back up at the silent group. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, prepare a suit for me.”

“Which suit-”

“-the quickest one.” Tony headed towards the door, but before he could reach it, Steve stepped in front of him.

“Tony,” Steve said, “you can’t go.”

“If this is where you confess your undying love for me,” Tony replied, “not the time.”

Steve ignored the snarky remark and continued, “You can’t go throw yourself blindly into an army of rouge soldiers. Let’s make a plan and create a strategy of attack. Going after this kid without any sort of preparation- it’s suicide.”

“Let me make one thing clear,” Tony said and suddenly Steve was acutely aware of his clenched teeth and red-rimmed eyes. “I will do everything in my power to get Peter back. I don’t care about plans. I don’t care about strategy.” He pointed outside. “Every second this general has Peter is a second they’re hurting him. And I am not letting them hurt him, do you hear me?”

Steve stayed silent for a long time before saying, “You really care about this kid.”

“More than you’d even know.”

And with those few words, Tony pushed past Steve and stepped out the door. An Iron Man suit flew out from above and built itself around him. Tony nodded in Pepper’s direction and she gave him a minuscule wave. And before Steve could blink, Iron Man disappeared into the clouds.

Steve pulled his gaze away from the window. The others at the doorway were as silent as he was. Wanda had sparks of energy curl out from her fingertips as she stared where Tony was last seen. Natasha fiddled with her gun, her eyes flitting between everyone in the hallway. Vision stood as still as a statue as Pepper cleared her throat.

“There are spare uniforms in your rooms,” Pepper said.

“Uniforms?” Wanda asked.

“Outfits, costumes, whatever you all wear to battle,” clarified Pepper.

“We’re-” Wanda whipped around to face Steve with a hopeful glint in her eye. “We’re going to fight this general?”

Steve hestitated. He had assumed that Tony had it under control. That Wanda, Natasha, and him would leave the facility as soon as possible and return to the fugitive life. But the more he thought about it, the more General Hudson seemed like a problem the Avengers would have been called to face. Even Iron Man can’t take down a whole army.

“Hell yes,” Steve finally said. “Let’s suit up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Sorry about not uploading a chapter yesterday- I got a bit busy. Now, with that aside,
> 
> CAN WE TALK ABOUT THAT TRAILER, THOUGH?
> 
> AHHHHHHHHH!
> 
> I AM SO HYPED FOR THIS MOVIE!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 3/17/18


	11. Peter Parker

“Ouch.” Peter’s eyes fluttered open and his head felt ready to explode. He opened his eyes wider, taking in his surroundings as the memory of the classroom battle came flooding back to him.

He was in a jail cell. Not one of those normal jail cells- there was no bars or windows. It was more like the jail cell Princess Leia was in when she was about to be executed on the Death Star. The walls were gray and slick, and the small room stank of metal.

Peter himself was sitting upright in a large metal chair. His hands were cuffed to the side of it with built-in manacles. Peter pulled at the cuffs, but without result. He pulled again, putting all his strength in it. Nothing happened. Peter looked at it closely. It wasn’t any sort of metal he’d seen, it could resist his super-strength. He pulled again anyways.

“You are wasting your energy,” a voice said. Peter jerked his head up. In the doorway stood a man dressed in military gear.

“Those cuffs are meant for the strongest of men,” the man continued. “Some say they are even capable of holding gods.” He walked into the room, shutting the cell door behind him. “There is not way you’d be able to break out of them, my young friend.” The way the man said ‘friend’ made the word seem frightening.

Peter stayed silent.

“My name is General Hudson. I understand you are Peter Parker,” the man said. He waited for an answer so Peter nodded.

“Good,” General Hudson edged closer to Peter. “It would be really unfortunate if we kidnapped a child instead of a monster.” At ‘monster’, the general raised his hand and slapped Peter across the face. Peter gasped as his head knocked across the side of the chair. The general smiled and knelt on the floor in front of him. “How did you become like this, little monster?” he asked.

Peter tasted blood but he swallowed it back. “Like what?” he finally spoke.

“With powers,” General Hudson said. “If my sources are correct, you have the ability to climb walls, harbor inhuman strength, and shoot webs from your wrists.”

Shoot webs. Peter was suddenly aware of what he was wearing. He was still wearing the outfit he wore to school, and by the weight of his pocket, the soldiers hadn’t bothered to check him for weapons. He still had his web shooters.

“Y-yeah,” Peter stuttered. “I can do all those things. Totally.”

The general glared at him harder and Peter cursed himself for not making up a lie. But if he had made up a story about not having powers, he might be searched for weapons. Peter shifted, trying to make his sweatshirt pocket bulge a bit less.

General Hudson continued to glare and Peter took it as an opportunity ask the question that had been running through his mind. “What do you want with me?”

General Hudson’s glare lessened and a wisp of a smile shown on the sides of his lips. “All I want from you, little monster, is for you to be dead.”

Peter gulped but glared back. “Then why am I not dead already?”

The general raised his eyebrows. “Would you like me to kill you now?”

“Nope, nope, nope, that’s not what I meant,” Peter said quickly, still glaring. “Why keep me alive if you want to kill me to badly?”

General Hudson went back to frowning and stood up from his kneeling position. “It’s not that I want to keep you alive, it’s that I have to,” he said as he paced the small room.  
Peter’s glare faltered. This was not the answer he was expecting. “You… have to?”

“You are my prisoner, little monster, but you are also their bait.” The general stopped pacing and grinned again. “I can’t kill you just yet.”

“Their…” Peter repeated. “I’m who’s bait?” He was getting tired of all the cryptic messages the General Hudson was giving. He could tell that the general was do it on purpose, just to get him asking the right questions.

“The Avengers, of course,” General Hudson answered slyly. “Or specifically, the monsters of that team. I need to eliminate them all. Rogers, Maximoff, Vision.” He smiled. “And of course you, little monster.”

Peter bit his lip. He didn’t want to ask another question, to sound like some ignorant kid, but curiosity got the best of him. “Why do you call me that?” he blurted.

General Hudson raised his eyebrows.

“Little monster,” Peter quoted. “I’m not a Lady Gaga fan, I swear.”

The general sighed, as if he were surprised Peter didn’t understand. “How old are you?”

“...Fifteen.”

“Which makes you little.”

Peter tried to cross his arms but he’d forgotten they were attached to the chair. He frowned harder instead. “Number one, I’m not little,” Peter said defensively. “Number two, I meant the monster part. Why do you call me a monster?”

The general paused. He stopped pacing and stood in front of Peter. “I’ve been watching you, Spider-Man.”

“Creepy…”

“I’ve been watching every move you’ve made.”

“Even more creepy…”

“And I’ve seen all the destruction you’ve caused,” General Hudson said. “All the terror you’ve inflicted-”

“Um… terror? I think you have the wrong guy, Mr. General,” Peter interrupted. “I save people, not terrorize them.”

“Really,” General Hudson questioned, “because I distinctly remember Spider-Man crashing a plane into Coney Island about six months ago. Does that not scream ‘terror’ to you?”

“That wasn’t my fault! I was saving-“

“You were not saving anybody!” The general growled. “Maybe you saved Stark a couple million dollars when you recovered his tech, but you are not a savior to the people.”

Peter took a breath and General Hudson leaned closer towards him. “You may think you’re human but you’re something far more evil inside. I will take your life, just after I take the lives of all the other monsters who terrorize the earth.” The general was so close to Peter that little flick of spit were spraying onto his face. Peter resisted the urge to gag and leaned farther into the seat.

“I will see you soon enough, little monster,” General Hudson said. The general turned, strode across the cell, yanked the door open, stepped into the dimly lit hallway, and then slammed the door shut with such force that the whole room rattled.

Peter sat there, staring blankly at where the general disappeared. He gulped, almost unable to process what he’d just encountered. There was a man, a United States general, who thought Spider-Man was a monster. Who wanted to kill Captain America and Scarlet Witch and a whole lot of other Avengers. Who wanted to kill him. Peter hadn’t even thought there might be people out there that didn’t think he was the hero he tried to be.

Peter sighed, staring up at the metallic ceiling. He wondered if Aunt May was worried about him, if the school had told her that he’d been kidnapped. He wondered if she would blame Mr. Stark if he died. A lump formed in the back of his throat when Peter thought of his aunt and his eyes got more watery than he would have liked. He hoped he wouldn’t die, the prospect sounded painful and frightening. He would never want to put his aunt through that.

Peter wondered if Ned had called Mr. Stark and he wondered if Mr. Stark was looking for him. Even if he was, Peter knew that he was just bait. If the Avengers came to save him, Peter would have led them straight into a trap.

Peter shifted his gaze from the ceiling to the door. The bolt on the door was small, not the type of bolt that could resist the strength of a superhuman like Peter. It was odd, he thought, that his cell would have a bolt that he could break so easily. Peter guessed that it didn’t really matter, since he was cuffed to a chair.

He looked down. He hadn’t studied the cuffs very long- the general had interrupted before he could get a good look. The cuffs were obviously made for a superhuman. They were made of strong, solid material. And they were large. Very large, actually, like they’d been made for someone much bigger than Peter. Someone like Captain America, with bigger muscles and bigger arms and-

Peter’s heart skipped a beat. The cuffs looked like they’d been made for someone with bigger wrists.

Peter pulled at the cuffs again. The metal scraped his skin and he winced. But he kept pulling.

His hands were halfway through the cuffs.

He pulled.

“Almost…”

He pulled harder.

“There…”

He pulled his hands one last time, harder than he’d tried before, and-

His hands were free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> I have uploaded. On schedule. It truly is a miracle.
> 
> And now for the IMPORTANT NEWS! PLEASE READ!
> 
> Bucky is gone.
> 
> Yeah, he used to be on the Wattpad cover. He used to be in the summary. He used to be mentioned in the chapters before. 
> 
> I bet you all thought he was going to be in this fanfiction. Me too.
> 
> But Avengers: Infinity War is coming out in 34 days and it would be too crazy of a story to squish Bucky in when there's so little time left. So I had to cut him out. 
> 
> I've edited all the former chapters that needed editing, made a new cover, and changed the summary for Wattpad and am working on it for Ao3.
> 
> Sorry if you were here for Bucky. 
> 
> 'Cause Bucky is gone. 
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 3/23/18


	12. Tony Stark

“Dammit.” Tony cursed under his breath as he laid his eyes on Midtown High School. He surveyed the scene, taking it all in as he hovered in the air with his suit on autopilot. Then deeming it necessary, he cursed again but with something a bit stronger.

Every single student on campus was standing in the football field.

But there was no soldiers in sight.

“No,” Tony muttered. “They got away.” There was no trace of the soldiers who’d kidnapped Peter and as Tony rotated around in his suit looking for some sort clue to where they went, his heart suck deeper and deeper.

There was shouts coming from the school as the students craned their necks and pointed at the flying Iron Man suit. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, let’s land,” Tony said. “These kids would have seen where the general’s soldiers went, right?”

The suit descended onto the football field and the students scrambled to make a clearing. Tony took a deep breath and then tried to plaster on the reassuring smile that he usually wore for press conferences and when he screwed up around Pepper. His suit’s helmet opened and he grimaced at the wide-eyed students and teachers. “Midtown High School,” he began, “My name is Tony Stark, if you haven’t realized by now. I have been alerted that one of your students, Peter Parker, has been kidnapped from this school by a group of people that were dressed as the U.S. military.”

The group of people in front of him gave various nods. Tony took a breath and unsuccessfully attempted to turn his grimace into a grin. “The group that intruded on your school is not the U.S. military, but a terrorist group-” Tony wasn’t exactly sure if General Hudson and his soldier were a terrorist group or not, but the moment the word terrorist left his mouth, a ripple of gasps erupted throughout the crowd.

“-we don’t know why this group kidnapped Mr. Parker, but we plan to track them down.” Tony finished. The clock was ticking and, as much as he liked to give a good speech, Tony wanted to wrap it up with Midtown High School and find Peter. “Now, could anyone tell me where the soldiers went?”

“They went that way,” A tall girl near the front of the crowd yelled, pointing south, “in a military green helicopter with the U.S. emblem on it!”

“Michelle’s right!” The heavyset boy next to her called. Tony had seen enough pictures on Peter’s phone to know that he was looking at Ned. “They took Peter in that copter too. We saw it through the window.”

Tony nodded at Ned. He flipped his helmet back on. “Thanks.” Before he could even think to properly say goodbye to the crowd in front of him, Tony was already in the sky and heading south.

Tony pulled up a globe on the screen in front of him, attempting to narrow down locations without avail. Peter could be anywhere. Even when he only searched for places that could house a helicopter, he was still left with hundreds of warehouses, bunkers, and abandoned properties. Tony sighed, disheartened. He glanced down to the view below him, the tiny spots of headlights and traffic lights barely visible from the height.

Traffic lights.

The thought came quickly into Tony’s head. “F.R.I.D.A.Y, scan all traffic camera footage from Queens for a military helicopter.”

“Scanning…” A red beacon appeared on the globe. “A military helicopter was caught on footage, sir. It seems to have just landed in an abandoned army bunker just outside of Washington D.C.”

Tony sighed, a bit of relief flooding through him. “Set a course for that bunker, F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

“Yes, sir.” The suit took off faster than before. The timer on the top of the screen estimated the trip to take roughly 20 minutes.

All Tony had to do was wait.

Actually, scratch that.

Tony had some calls to make.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, call the Avengers Headquarters,” he said.

The phone rang for less than three seconds before it was answered. “Tony?” Pepper asked.

“Hey, Pepper,” Tony replied.

“What happened? Did you find Peter? Is he okay?” The questions came flooding out of Pepper faster than Tony could answer them.

Tony bit his lip. “No, I was too late. Hudson’s soldiers got him.”

“Dammit.” Natasha’s voice came through the phone from the background. “What do we do now?”

“I have the location of Hudson’s bunker,” Tony replied. “I forwarded it to you all through F.R.I.D.A.Y.”

“You want us to meet you there?” Steve’s voice asked.

“I’m going to need all the help I can get,” Tony said.

I’m going to need the Avengers back together again, Tony thought. But didn’t say.

“All right, we’ll be there,” Wanda answered. Tony had a brief thought on whether or not she could read minds through the phone.

“We’ll suit up and see you soon,” Natasha finished.

But before she could end the call, Tony said, “Wait.” The call didn’t end and Tony continued. “Steve, there’s something in the basement that you might find useful.” And then Tony ended the call himself.

The next call he had to make was easier. He dialed in Secretary Ross’ number by heart- he’d seen it too many times on the ‘missed call’ section of his phone to forget it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Ross. It’s Tony Stark.”

“Stark?” The voice on the other end was mildly shocked. Tony didn’t blame him. He doubted Ross ever thought that a time would come when Tony called him and not the other way around.

“Yeah,” Tony said. “Now remember what you said about General Hudson?”

“Yes?”

“Well, you were wrong. There was no misunderstanding between General Hudson and his soldiers.”

Confusion crept into Ross’ voice as he said, “Mr. Stark, excuse me, but I’m not following-”

“Your general just kidnapped an innocent student from Midtown High School, one of my interns for the matter,” Anger was starting to show in Tony’s voice but he made no move to cover it. “I’m going to get him back, with your help or without it.”

“Stark, listen, how can you be sure that it was-”

“Check the security footage, go talk to the couple hundred Midtown students, do something, but I’m not going to waste my time explaining this to you right now, Ross.”

“Stark-”

Tony ended the call. Even though Tony acted like an asshole towards him, he knew that Ross was a decent guy. He’d represented Wakanda, for one, and Tony had to give him some respect for that. Hopefully, Ross would come to his senses in time and deal with Hudson after Peter was rescued.

With two call down, Tony only had one more to make. And there was a reason he’d been saving it for last.

Although he’d never admit it, Tony Stark was just a tad bit scared of May Parker.

And having to call her and tell her that her nephew was kidnapped because he was a superhero that Tony helped create? Well, Tony would rather fight Loki all over again.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y, call May Parker.”

“Calling May Parker…”

Tony held his breath.

“STARK!” The shrill voice rang out of the speakers so loud that Tony found himself lowering the volume a couple of notches.

“H-hello, Ms. Parker.” Tony didn’t mean to stutter but it seemed to just happen on it’s own.

“I JUST RECEIVED A CALL FROM PETER’S HIGH SCHOOL SAYING THAT HE’S BEEN ABDUCTED? ABDUCTED!” May screamed through the monitor. “MY NEPHEW HAS BEEN ABDUCTED!”

“May, I know this may come as a shock-”

“A SHOCK? REALLY?” May took a breath and started again, calmer but with rage simmering underneath. “I-I didn’t want him to be a superhero, Stark. The moment I saw him in that costume, I said no. But he pleaded and pleaded and called you, and you said, and I quote, ‘May, nothing will happen to him. He has superpowers, he can fight for himself, I’ll give him lessons every Friday to teach him, HE’S SAFE.’ YOU- YOU LIAR!”

“May, I know you’re upset-”

“DAMN RIGHT I AM!”

“-I am too.”

May didn’t say anything so Tony continued. “I promise, May, I promise. I’m going to get Peter back. I’m on my way to get him right now. But you have to trust me, alright? Don’t call the police, don’t call anyone. Just let me handle it.”

There was silence on the other end. But then May said, “If anything happens to him, Stark, I swear...”

“I know,” There a facility below him, that Tony could just barely make out in the fading sunlight. “I’m going to get him back, May.”

And Tony disconnected the call and began his descent to the bunker below him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> I only have one more prewritten chapter left! Gotta get back to writing!
> 
> Also-
> 
> Monsters & Mankind received the Honorary Mention in the Rose Fanfiction Awards! Pretty cool, huh? Those are the only awards I've entered Monsters & Mankind into but if any of you Wattpadders have other award recommendations, I'll check them out!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 3/30/18


	13. Steve Rogers

The basement was dark. Like the kind of dark basement where the side character got killed in all of those horror flicks Tony had showed the team a long time ago. The darkness didn’t scare Steve, of course, but it just made him a little bit uneasy.

There’s something in the basement that you might find useful, Tony had said. Steve legitimately hoped it wasn’t a physco killer.

“Steve! The quinjet’s almost ready!” Natasha’s voice hollered from upstairs.

“One second!” Steve yelled back. They had answered Tony’s call almost fifteen minutes ago but the time it took for the six of them, minus Pepper, to find their gear and suit up had taken longer than expected.

Steve felt around the wall at the bottom of the stairs for a light switch. His fingers caught on it and he flicked it on.

As light filled the barren room, Steve took a sweeping gaze around. The basement was actually a basement. It had unfurnished wall and floors with the little dust bunnies cluttering the floors. Dull cargo boxes were scattered random around the room, but Steve barely glanced at them.

For his eye was immediately attracted to the red, white, and blue shield propped up against the wall in the center of the basement.

Without even thinking about it, Steve was grinning. He strode towards his shield, picked it up, and suddenly the familiar weight he’d been missing was back.

Captain America turned around and jogged back up the stairs two at a time.

“About time,” Natasha said as Steve emerged from the basement. Her eyes lingered on the shield in his hand, her eyebrows raising slightly, before turning her back to him. “The rest of the team is waiting in the quinjet.” She spun on her heel and headed towards the launchpad.

Steve didn’t question her decision not to mention the shield. She assumed it was just between him and Tony, he guessed.

Maybe it was.

Steve hadn’t thought he would ever carry the red, white, and blue shield again. And he definitely hadn’t thought Tony would be the one to let him carry it.

After what happened those months ago, Steve had even had his doubts if he would ever see Tony again.

Maybe Tony giving him the shield was some sort of sign. A former friendship being formed again. Deep down, Steve hoped it was.

But Steve also knew that it took more than just agreeing to save some kid to fix what had happened. The shield was probably a strategic move, Steve decided. What was Captain America without his shield?

Steve jogged up the ramp of the quinjet, where the rest of the group was waiting. Natasha was having a few last words with Pepper while Wanda and Vision hovered near the cockpit computer, inconspicuously close for a pair a teammates.

Natasha wrapped off her conversation with Pepper as Steve approached. Pepper began heading back to the facility, but not before looking both of them in the eye and saying, “Good luck.”

The ramp folded up, and Steve and Natasha were left staring at a blank wall. Natasha was the first to move, purposely walking to the monitor Wanda and Vision were looking at as F.R.I.D.A.Y. counted to takeoff. Steve followed her. There was a time where the whole team would wait for his call, but not anymore.

“Here’s what we’re up against,” Natasha began, pointing at the screen. A picture of a gruff, unsmiling man appeared with the name ‘General Carl Hudson’ underneath it. Different pictures flashed next to it. The general in action in Afghanistan. The general giving a speech at a college. The general holding two small kids that vaguely resembled him.

“Hudson is your everyday general,” Natasha continued, “except he’s a psychopath who kidnaps children for fun.” A picture of Peter Parker flashed on the screen and Steve vaguely wondered who constructed these intricate presentations.

“But he’s just a rouge general,” Natasha said. “Easy-peasy. Get in, get out, leave the general for law enforcement.”

Vision raised his hand.

“And try not to kill anyone.”

Vision put his hand down.

A new picture came up on the screen. This one was of a young woman with messy brown hair and thick glasses. Underneath it, the description read ‘Kathleen Capers’.

“This is Kathleen,” Natasha pointed. “Computer genius, PhDs in a bunch of smart shit, former member of a hacker group called the Rising Tide, etcetera.” She folded her arms. “So expect a whole boatload of techy traps and surveillance when we get there. And soldiers. From what we’ve seen, General Hudson’s got a bunch of military personnel under his belt as well.”

“Approaching destination,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. spoke from above. Steve looked out the window of the cockpit. A bunker was approaching, and sure enough, he could already see squads of soldiers in formation around it.

Suddenly, a bright red flash burst across Steve’s view, causing him to do a double take.

“Connecting with Tony Stark…” F.R.I.D.A.Y. said from the computer in front.

“Greetings, teammates,” Tony’s voice said from the speakers. “Do you copy?”

“Loud and clear,” Steve replied as Natasha, Wanda, and Vision headed over.

“Alright. Here’s the situation.” Tony’s suit did another loop around the cockpit window. “The soldier’s haven’t spotted me yet. Or maybe they have and are waiting for all of us to get closer so they can do a mass slaughter. But the point is, I’ve had time to do surveillance,” The suit hovered in the front of the window so that it’s hand movements were in sync with Tony’s words, “and there’s a weak side door on the east wing. Any one of us could break through without causing a big disruption. The best way to get there, I would say, is jumping out of the quinjet. You won’t have to waste time landing.” The plane followed the suit as Tony glided towards the east wing. “Since both Wanda and Vision can fly and Steve has a thing with jumping out planes already, I would say that Natasha could just be carried by one of them-”

Natasha snorted.

“-but I know that Natasha would rather die than be carried by someone so she can use the parachute in the back.”

Natasha went to get the parachute.

“Once we get into the building, our plan is improv.”

“Sounds good,” Steve said.

“Roger that, Rogers,” Tony replied. The quinjet was right above the entry door and Tony’s suit began to lower.

The ramp opened as well. Steve walked to the edge. He jumped, right after muttering-

“Let’s go kick some ass.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Sorry for the late chapter!
> 
> I've officially decided: there will be two more chapters in Monsters & Mankind plus an epilogue. Hopefully, this will lead right up to Infinity War.
> 
> But, in order to prepare for the two biggest chapters of this book, I've moving my updates to Sunday. This will give me the whole weekend to write the very best chapter I can. I'm excited to wrap this up with you all and I hope you're excited as well!
> 
> Ps. Thanks for 200 reads on Wattpad! And thanks to my every loyal readers on AO3 for almost 1,300 reads!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 4/07/18


	14. Mankind

Tony reached the ground slowly, barely a sound. Looking up, he saw a security camera glaring down at him from it’s perch on the doorframe. A quick blast from the suit’s hand disintegrated the camera quickly and quietly, and Tony turned around to see a four figures flying down towards him.

Steve hit the ground first, striking the dirt in the perfect pose that would have broken all the bones in an average person.

Vision and Wanda were next, both of them gliding serenely to the ground.

Natasha was last, floating slow and steady, attached to a parachute.

Once the five of them were on the ground, Tony retracted his helmet. He could see that Natasha was twirling a pistol on hand, Wanda’s energy was practically bursting out of her, Vision was a focused as usual-

-and Steve had found the shield. Good.

“Everyone ready?” Tony asked his team.

A chorus of nods and a typical “damn ready” from Natasha came back to him.

Tony turned around, and with a blast from his suit, the door flew off it’s frame and crashed along the side wall. Stepping in first, Tony surveyed the hallway, it’s dimly lit corridor and unfinished look giving an ominous aura to the warehouse.

“All clear,” he said, after F.R.I.D.A.Y. deemed the nearby area vacant of lifeforms.

The rest of the team was already behind him, and Tony took it as a good time to explain the plan.

Or, at least, the kinda-sorta-not really a plan that Tony had been making up in his head for the past five minutes.

“Okay,” Tony declared, facing his three teammates, “here’s the plan. We find Peter. We kick General Hudson’s ass. We fly away.”

“That’s a terrible plan,” said Vision.

“Well, do you have a better one?” Tony asked.

“I do,” Natasha replied. “I say we split up, cover more ground. We find the kid, we kick the ass. Then we fly away right after calling your friend Everett Ross so that this General gets put into captivity.”

“I see you kept in the ass-kicking part,” Wanda said. “I guess we’re not negotiating?”

“No,” said Natasha. “I like ass-kicking.”

“Alright,” Tony said. “Sounds good.”

Steve cleared his throat. “So we’re splitting up… How about-”

“-you and Tony go search the North wing while Wanda, Vision, and I search the South?” Natasha interrupted. “Yeah, we’ll do that.”

Steve shifted his shield. He didn’t retaliate.

Tony raised his eyebrows in her direction but Natasha just smirked at him. He knew what she was doing. She was playing matchmaker, but instead of matching lovers, she was matching two former friends who split because one’s best friend murdered the other’s parents.

So yeah. Good luck with that.

But, like Steve, Tony didn’t argue. So Natasha, Wanda, and Vision headed towards the South wing while Tony and Steve went to the North.

Iron Man and Captain America didn’t speak as they strode down the hallways of the wing. Tony would blast down one door, Steve would kick down another, they’d glance inside, they wouldn’t find anything other than empty desks and filing cabinets, and they’d move to the next door.

No talking.

Every once and awhile, Steve would glance at his shield, flexing his arm, as if he were testing how the weight felt.

Tony didn’t regret giving it back to him.

“I see you found the shield,” Tony said, finally breaking the silence.

“Yeah,” Steve replied, kicking down another. He paused, then added. “Thanks.”

“No problem.” Tony looked at Steve, waiting for a reply. But Steve just kicked down another door. No response.

He was different now, Tony had noticed, quieter. Tony was different now as well. A bit louder, a bit more reckless, if that was even possible. There were different ways of coping.

Tony didn’t know what to say. Maybe he should apologize to Steve, he thought. But deep down, he still stood by his actions. An apology would mean nothing.

Nevertheless, Tony wanted his friend back as well. It was why he gave back the shield in the first place. So, as they turned the corner of the hallway, he opened his mouth to give a meaningless apology that he hoped would restore a friendship.

“Hey, Steve-”

Steve turned in Tony’s direction, but before Tony could finish his sentence-

SLAM!

Something fell from the ceiling, hitting Steve with such force that his knees buckled. Steve grappled with the blur of motion for a moment, before he regained his balance and pulled it off of him.

The blur of motion became a disoriented boy, who stumbled away from Steve. He looked from Tony to Steve and back to Tony.

“Mr. Stark?” Peter exclaimed, his eyes widening. He looked back at Steve and his astonished look turned into awe. “Captain America?”

“Peter!” Tony disengaged his suit, stepping out of it and onto the bare ground, and without really thinking about it, he gave Peter a hug.

Peter’s eyes widened even more than before.

Tony stepped back, putting Peter at arms length. He looked him up and down for injuries, seeing only a bruise on Peter’s face. Tony swore if the General had gave the kid that, he would have to take Natasha’s place as the ass-kicker.

“How- how did you escape?” Tony asked.

“Oh,” Peter grinned. “The cuffs they out on me were too large. I was able to slip right out.” He looked back up at the ceiling. “I hung out up there for awhile- nobody thinks to look up- and I webbed all the security cameras I came across because they forgot to take away my web shooters. And just now I heard footsteps around the corner so I decided to ambush whoever it was. Cool, right? Well, it would have been cool if it wasn’t you guys who came around the corner.” He looked at Steve. “Sorry about that, Captain.”

Steve was looking at Peter with an expression Tony couldn’t identify. “No worries, kid.”

“Alright,” Tony said to Peter, “let’s get you home. Your aunt is just about ready to kill me.”

Tony walked back towards to suit, the gap between him and the superhumans widening just enough…

The screeching sound resonated through the hall. Tony whipped around, just in time to see a metal grate crash down in between him and the others.

The barrier filled the whole hallway, with just enough space between the bars that Tony could see Peter and Steve.

“What-” Tony’s suit formed around him and he gripped the bars of the grate, trying to pull them out. The barrier still stood in place.

Steve hit the shield against the grate too, but with no avail.

“What just happened?” Peter asked. “Why did a barrier form?”

“I don’t know, kid.” But, in reality, Tony had a good idea of why. What was the point of separating him from Steve and Peter? The pieces were coming together in Tony’s head.

“Stand back,” he ordered Steve and Peter. They did as he said. Three of the most powerful of blast on Tony’s suit fired at the barrier.

Nothing happened.

“It’s made of something else,” Steve said. “We can’t break through.”

There was silence.

Finally, Tony said, “You two go down the hallway. See what’s there and try to find an exit. I’ll go back down the hallway we came in and try to find another way in.” It was a terrible plan, a plan that was probably going to play right into General Hudson’s arms, but Tony couldn’t think of another way.

Steve nodded. “Sounds like a plan.”

“See you soon, Mr. Stark,” Peter said before taking off in the other direction.

Steve went to follow him but Tony said, “Wait.”

Steve paused.

“Take care of Peter, okay?” Tony asked.

“I will.”

_____________________________

“The plan is in action, sir.”

“Good.”

“I’ve initiated the first barrier,” Kathleen Capers shifted her glasses in a nervous habit that only came around the General. “I’m sending the squad now.”

“Good.”

“If all goes to plan, which it will, the four monsters will end up running towards the warehouse.”

“And the two humans?”

“They’re not a problem, General.”

“And you are sure this plan will work, Capers?”

Kathleen clicked through the security camera feed. She saw Captain America and Spider-Man already running in the right direction, Iron Man attempted to blast the walls with no avail, and the rest going the exact way she wanted them to.

“I’m positive.”

_____________________________

“Nothing?”

“Nothing.”

Vision floated through another wall, but there was no sign of the boy.

Natasha sighed. The base was huge and the chances of finding one boy were very slim.

“This is hopeless,” Wanda groaned, reading Natasha’s thoughts. “We’re never going to find him.”

“Don’t say that yet,” Natasha retorted. “He could be just around the corner.”

“He hasn’t been just around any of the other corners.”

Natasha didn’t say anything because, after all, she was right.

“What is so important about this child?” Vision asked. “I have rarely seen Tony show so much affection for anyone other than Pepper.”

“Truthfully, Vision,” Natasha replied. “I have no idea.” The whole Tony-being-a-complete-dad-to-some-kid thing had really surprised Natasha. She hadn’t known the kid well, barely meeting him eight months ago before they went to the airport. She wondered why Tony- a genius, billionaire, and playboy- had connected with him this much.

“There are people here.” Vision interrupted Natasha’s thoughts.

“What?” Wanda asked.

“There are people here.”

The three of them turned the corner-

-to see a squad of soldiers waiting for them.

“Get down!” Natasha screamed, and bullets rained over her head.

Wanda sent an energy blast at the men in front of them, knocking most of them down. Natasha leapt to her feet, slamming a soldier in the face with the butt of her gun. Vision sent a blast from his head, but the hallway was small and Vision could only take down so many people without frying Natasha and Wanda as well.

The sound of footsteps on metal came from behind and Natasha glanced behind her. More soldiers were running towards them from the way they had come. They were trapped.

“Wanda! Vision!” Natasha yelled. Both Wanda and Vision looked at her, simultaneously taking down whatever soldier was near them. “I’ll hold these soldiers off! You guys continue down the hallway!”

“We’re not leaving you, Nat!” Wanda yelled back.

“I’ll be fine!” Natasha flipped over another soldier before slamming him into the wall. “After all,” she said with a smile. “Ass-kicking is my favorite part.”

Wanda nodded. She and Vision fought their way past the soldiers still standing, running down the hallway and shooting blasts at whoever pursued them.

“Here we go,” Natasha said. She readied her handguns, pointing them directly at the mob coming towards her.

Shots fired through the air, from both sides, but Natashas were the only ones that hit their target. She ran straight through the middle of the squad, gunning down every single soldier in a span of thirty seconds. As she turned back to admire her her work, the sound of an engine revved behind her. Natasha whipped around, pointing both guns towards the noise.

Iron Man was flying towards her.

Natasha lowered the weapons as the suit came to a halt in front of her. The helmet receded, to reveal Tony’s grim face.

“What happened?” Natasha asked. “Where’s Steve?”

“Where’s Wanda and Vision,” Tony asked, not answering the question.

Natasha pointed around the hallway corner. “I told them to run down that way.”

Tony slowly turned the corner, and his grim expression became even darker. Natasha followed him, curious to see what he was looking at.

A metal grate had formed a barrier between the hallway, preventing them from following Wanda and Vision’s lead.

Natasha’s brow furrowed. “Why…”

“They’re trapping all the superhumans,” Tony said.

Natasha looked at him. “Well, we can just blast our way into there.”

“I tried. The whole building is made out of some new element, almost like vibranium. It’s specifically tailored to withstand our weaponry.” Tony bit his lip. “They’re trapping all the superhumans and we can’t get in.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> One. More. Chapter.
> 
> One. More. Week.
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 4/22/18


	15. Monsters

"This way."

Steve lead his way through the corridor, Peter on his heels. There were no breaks in the hallway, only a single path that made turns every once and awhile.

Steve had no idea where they were going but he sure as hell wasn't going to admit that to the kid.

"No need to be afraid," Steve muttered, looking around the corner before turning it. "We'll find our way out of this."

"I'm not afraid," Peter replied almost cheerfully and as Steve looked at him, he was surprised to see excitement gleaming in the boy's eyes.

Steve was starting to get why Tony liked this kid. They both had a taste for adventure.

Peter jogged to keep up with Steve's pace, occasionally running up the side of each wall. Although the kid wasn't wearing his suit, Steve had flashbacks to when they had fought back in Germany.

"So, Captain," Peter said as he ran next to Steve. "How's it like being an Avenger?"

"Hmm?" Steve murmured. He wasn't expecting the kid to talk to him, not in a situation as dire as the one they were in. But, again, Steve was reminded of the airport battle and how Spider-Man never seemed to shut up. He almost smiled thinking of it.

"Well, I wanted to know how it is being an Avenger?" Peter continued after Steve didn't answer. "I mean, Mr. Stark offered to let me be a part of the team-"

"-he what?"

"-but I declined because school's kinda hard and being a superhero on top of that... I mean, I don't think I could handle all of it so I said no."

"Tony offered to make you an Avenger?" Steve asked.

"Well, yeah."

"Huh." Steve wasn't jealous but a long time ago he picked the new recruits. A long time ago he was leader of the Avengers and a long time ago he'd had a team that always stuck by his side. The reminiscence hit him like a freight car and suddenly, even though he'd known it all along and chosen to ignore it, Steve realized why he'd been so different the last few months.

He wasn't missing the Avengers.

He was missing the people who were part of it.

Steve had been slowing down his run as he thought, and now Peter was steps in front of him. The kid turned the next hallway corner quickly, without looking around it, but as soon as he disappeared around the edge-

BAM!

Before Steve could reach the corner as well, Peter camer flying back through the air, striking the opposing wall and crumpling down next to it. The boy straightened up almost immediately, lunging towards whoever was around the corner.

Steve turned the hallway-

-and met Wanda face to face, her hands raised in attack. As her eyes widened in surprise, Steve whipped around, catching Peter mid-leap and preventing him from tackling Wanda.

"Hey!" Peter said, mild confusion in his voice, as Steve placed him back on the ground.

"Steve?" Wanda asked, confusion in her voice as well. Her eyes drifted towards Peter and a sudden recognition filled her face. "You're Peter."

Peter furrowed his brow but eventually his face filled with realization. "You're that girl from the airport who can use the Force."

"The Force?" Steve asked.

Peter looked at him, horrified. "You've never watched Star Wars?"

"Hey, Vision!" Wanda half-yelled back down the hallway she'd come from. "Come here!"

Vision came hovering around the corner, his green and pink body a stark contrast with the dreary metallic walls around them.

"He was making sure we weren't followed," Wanda explained. "Soldiers have been coming out of nowhere, chasing us down the hallway."

"We were separated from Tony," Steve said. "A giant barrier come down from the ceiling and we had no choice but to head down this way."

"All the superhumans have been driven to the same area," Vision noted. He turned, facing the giant double doors to the side of them. He stared at them for a moment or two before turning back to the group. "There are many groups of people behind that door, most plausibly waiting to slaughter us when we enter."

"Well, what we just don't go in there?" Peter asked.

"We can't stay out here forever," Steve replied. "There's nothing behind us but empty rooms and blank walls."

"They would come for us eventually," Wanda agreed.

"What's the big deal?" Steve finally said after a moment's ponder. "We have an android that can fly, a woman who can pick up objects with her mind, a boy who can climb walls, and a man with a shield. We can take down whoever is behind those doors."

A murmur of agreement chorused back at him so Steve turned towards the double doors, and with one hit with his shield, knocked them down.

_____________________________

Vision flew through the door first, welcomed by a rain of bullets from the teams of soldiers below. He fired back at them, using the illuminating stone on his head. Out of the corner of his eye, Vision saw the rest of the small team enter through the door.

Steve threw his shield at the incoming soldiers knocking them down one by one by one.

Peter ran up walls, webbing anyone who came near him.

Wanda sent energy blasts towards the ceiling small chunks falling down onto enemy squads, and Vision registered that the large warehouse-sized room they were in was not made out of the same material as the hallway.

It wasn't superpower-proof.

Not that it mattered for Vision. He could float through any wall in the building.

Yes, Vision could float through any wall in the building. Even the outer ones that no superpower seemed able to break. But when Wanda asked him if he was able to escape by going through the wall, he had said no.

It was the first lie he had told.

Vision could have left Wanda and went through the metallic surface that was holding the rest of them prisoner, but he didn't. And he did not feel the emotion of regret even a little bit.

_____________________________

Wanda knew Vision lied.

As she sent blast over blast towards the army of soldiers that never seemed to end, she couldn't keep her mind off of it.

The way he had looked anywhere but her eyes, the way he fiddled with his metallic fingers, and the way he changed the subject when they were running through the hallways had told her.

Vision had lied in order to stay with her and it made Wanda the happiest she'd been in a very long time.

Another soldier came at her but Wanda effortlessly sent a ball of energy into him. The soldier tumbled onto the ground, still raising his gun in her direction. Wanda sent more red wisps out of her hands, pinning the soldier to the ground. It was a woman, late thirties it seemed, with blonde hair and a gaze full of hatred.

"You're a monster," the woman growled.

"So I've heard," Wanda replied. She said it carelessly but the wisps of energy surrounding the fallen soldier tightened ever so slightly.

"A freak of nature, a villain, an experiment-"

The soldier stopped speaking as the energy wisps tightened around her neck. Her face went from anger to shock to fear and within a few seconds her head lolled to the side, not dead but unconscious.

"I'm not the monster here," Wanda whispered. And then she moved onto the next soldier.

_____________________________

This was the coolest day ever.

Peter swung over a team of soldiers, nailing them in the chest as they toppled over with a cry and stuck to the wall.

Well, actually, this was the second coldest day ever. Battling at the airport came in number one.

Soldiers fired in his direction but Peter just webbed the bullets up before they could hit him, the balls of webbing nailing him with the force of a bouncy ball.

It felt weird not having his suit on, not having Karen tell him the best tactical strategy, or not have different webs to choose from. But Peter got the hang of it right away as he was reminded of the time before Mr. Stark had took his designs and made it a real suit.

The soldiers fired at Peter as much as they fired at anyone else. It surprised him a little, normally bad guys only tried to kill him when he had his suit on and when the couldn't see that he was actually a fifteen-year-old teenager.

These people were different and it was weird. They didn't care about age or gender or even what was morally correct. They were just too blinded by whatever hate they felt for a single group to think about their own actions.

It confused Peter a bit. But he decided not to think of it much and focused on webbing up his enemies.

He did a backflip across a team of soldiers, taking them down one by one.

"Nice, kid!" Captain America yelled at him from across the warehouse.

Peter smiled.

Pretty cool.

_____________________________

There was one last group of soldiers who weren't webbed or unconscious.

They came through the door from the other side of the warehouse, with a man that Steve recognized from the photos standing right in the front.

General Carl Hudson.

Steve felt Peter come up near his elbow as he stood next to him and he could hear Vision and Wanda hover in the air near his head.

The general walked towards them- slowly, steadily, and in a manner that in every way possible screamed confidence.

"Welcome." The general spoke, his tone giving a malicious yet chiding tone. "I see you've found my headquarters." He gestured to the space around him, his arms open like a party host introducing the main course.

"We didn't really have a choice did we?" Peter retorted sharply.

General Hudson glanced in his direction. "Ah, Mr. Parker. I must thank you for being the perfect bait for these guests-"

Peter stiffened.

"-I did say that they would come for you, didn't I?"

"It doesn't matter." Peter shook his head. "We're gonna kick your ass no matter what."

"Language..." Steve muttered at the kid. He was still glaring at General Hudson but as the general looked in his direction, Steve saw that his eyes were a completely different story than his confident stance.

In the general's eyes, Steve saw fear.

He saw hate, of course.

He saw anger.

But, above all, there was a raw fear in the general's eyes that Steve wasn't expecting.

General Hudson was afraid.

"You deserve to die," the general said suddenly, interrupting Steve's thoughts. "All of you."

"Why?" Peter asked, and Steve silently wished the boy would stop talking. "Why do you hate us so much?"

"I don't hate you," General Hudson answered. "I hate your existence."

Steve saw the beginnings of red energy wisps slowly spurt from Wanda's hands.

"The powers- the powers that you monsters hold. It's not allowed in this universe." The General paced, always staying within reach of his soldiers. "Your powers are what takes lives-"

"Our powers are what saves them!" Wanda interrupted.

"Did Loki's powers save lives?" The general was practically yelling now. "Did Ultron's powers? Did Barnes'?"

"You're taking the actions of a few and blaming all of us!" Peter said. "That's not right!"

"You all cause destruction. And there's only one way to stop it." The general pulled out something small and metallic out of his vest.

A bomb.

"Wait," Steve said. "You don't want to do this."

"I do," General Hudson replied emotionlessly. "I've wanted to do this the moment I saw you freaks."

"If you detonate that bomb, you will die," Vision stated.

"And I will rid the Earth of its monsters."

"Think about what you're doing," Steve tried to reason. "Think."

But General Hudson only smiled.

"Goodbye, monsters."

He reach for the bomb with his other hand, but red wisps flew from Wanda's faster.

The energy hit the roof, the roof that couldn't withstand superpowers. The ceiling crumpled on itself, cascading around the red force field surrounding the four superhumans on the ground.

The ceiling crumpled on General Hudson.

After what seemed like ages, the rumble subsided and Wanda let the forcefield down.

Nobody spoke.

Finally, after an eternal silence, the sound of a suit came through the air. The four of them looked up, towards the sky that was now visible and towards the Iron Man suit that was landing above them.

The suit landed, unfolded itself, and Tony stepped out. He half-ran, half-jogged towards them, a smile on his face.

"You're alive!" Tony said happily. He surveyed the rubble around them. "What happened?"

Steve opened his mouth to speak, but Tony cut him off.

"-actually, I'll have Peter give me the three hour long rendition of it later. Because, right now," Tony looked up to the sky, "Steve and Wanda have to get out of here."

"What?" Wanda asked.

"I called Ross. Told him the situation. He's on his way," Tony checked his watch, "and something tells me that he won't be excited to see you guys as I am."

"How are we going to leave?" Steve asked. He was disappointed, to be honest. He was looking forwards to hearing back to the Avenger's headquarters.

"Natasha's bringing the quinjet."

And as if it were timed, the quinjet appeared over the base. A ladder dropped down, landing next to Vision.

It was all so quick.

Steve didn't even have time to think.

"I... guess we better go." Wanda looked towards Vision, but she hopped onto the ladder. "Thanks for everything, Tony."

Tony nodded.

Steve gripped the ladder next, after Wanda had made it high enough. It was hard to hold on with his shield on his arm.

Steve stopped. He let go of the ladder and turned back to Tony.

He held out his shield.

"You can take it," Tony said. "You deserve it."

"I'm in hiding, Tony," Steve replied with a smile. "This shield isn't the most inconspicuous thing."

Tony smirked. "I'll keep it then. But only until you can take it back."

"Deal."

Steve handed over the shield and a weight was lifted. He climbed the ladder, watching the billionaire, the kid, and the android become smaller and smaller in the distance.

And Steve smiled.

Because, for once in a very long time, he was happy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author's Note
> 
> Wow. This is the last chapter. I just want to say thanks to everyone who read this book on Archive of Our Own and Wattpad. Your reads and amazing comments always make my day. Thank you everyone, and enjoy Infinity War!
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 4/28/18
> 
> Ps. This is a Marvel fanfiction. Stay for the end credits.


	16. Epilogue

The military base was deserted- the last cleanup crew having left hours ago.

They had said they were planning on bringing a more powerful truck tomorrow in order to clean up the giant slabs of concrete that were piled up on the body of General Hudson.

They wouldn't find his body.

The rubbled piled on top of the general shifted.

They floated into the air, one by one uncovering the bodies of the fallen soldiers.

Every soldier underneath the pile was dead.

Except for one.

General Hudson stood as the last piece of rubble was lifted off of him by an invisible. His body was unscathed and his eyes were made of purely light.

The general lifted his head to the sky and he screamed like a monster.

 

The Avengers will return.

**Author's Note:**

> Author's Note:
> 
> Hello, readers! It's Foxbowl, here! I'm back on Wattpad (and I joined Ao3) and this time I'm writing a MCU fanfiction (spoiler alert- that's the one you're reading).
> 
> I'm super excited to be finally posting this novel. I've been working on it for some time now, and even though I'm not completely finished yet, I've decided to start uploading it now!
> 
> If any of you read my Star Wars fanfiction, The Force of Gravity, you know that the chapters in that were very very short- half a page at least but the book was a total of forty chapters. But my writing has... evolved... and now the chapters in this fanfiction are five to seven pages, so the whole book will be no more than thirty chapters in total.
> 
> I'll be uploading a new chapter every Friday for these next few months. But as Infinity War quickly approaches, I'll then start doing biweekly or even triweekly uploads. If all goes to plan, Monsters & Mankind should finish up right before Avengers hits theaters. 
> 
> I'm so excited to be sharing my fanfiction with you! Feel free to comment, vote, and enjoy Monsters & Mankind! 
> 
> -Foxbowl
> 
> 1/28/18


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